Mississippi Grind

Huge gambling film fan here. Let it Ride is one of my all time favorite comedies and I loved both the James Caan and Mark Wahlberg Gambler films, Big Hand For the Little Lady, Hustler,The Sting, Color of Money, Hard Eight , Rounders, The Cincinatti Kid and 21 all films I found better than this.

I came to the film for Ben Mendelsohn whom I have been a huge fan of since seeing the great "Animal Kingdom". He does not disappoint. This also is perhaps the best work that I have seen Ryan Reynolds do.

It is a road trip film that some are comparing to Sideways, but the script just feels flat. It held my interest. It is worth seeing, but it really could have had a more compelling script. A lot of it may be that beyond the relationship between the two leads, none of the other characters really played out well or drew me in.

I will say one thing. The sound track is classic. One of the best ever; full of Delta Blues and a host of songs that were oldies, but new to my ears. The soundtrack was a pure 10. Worth the price of admission alone.

"Don't worry, it was just sixty bucks."

Are you expecting to witness a brilliantly conceived plan that's used in a bet as in "Focus"? A breathtaking scene with Will Smith raising the stakes alarmingly and taking off with a shitload of money. Or do you think you'll see an "all or nothing" poker game like Matt Damon shows in the magnificent movie "Rounders"? Then I should inform you that you've backed the wrong horse. "Mississippi grind" looks more like a mix of "The Gambler" and "Wild Card". Just as Wahlberg in "The Gambler", Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) is someone who should stop gambling, because clearly good fortune isn't on his side. And just like Statham seems his luck turns at the right time. But still. This slow and at times monotonous film feels differently.

Be assured. After watching this film you certainly won't feel the irresistible urge to put on a tuxedo and quickly head to the nearest casino. Despite the fact that the central theme is gambling-oriented, you'll realize after a while that it really is about something else. It could just as well be about two florists, who travel across America while demonstrating their floral art and finally arrive at the world championship "Bonsai-cutting". It's that trip and the interaction between the two individuals that are particularly important here. You travel as it were together with these two complicated characters.

First there's Gerry. A typical example of an inveterate gambler who's pursuing the impossible dream to win big one day with his gambling. He's aware of his desperate situation and thus he's drawn into an irreversible bankruptcy. The "big profit" is still to be achieved. Besides the immense mountain of debt he built up over the years, his personal life is also a mess. His wife left him. He hasn't seen his daughter in years. And although he's actually fooling himself all these years, he's still honest enough to admit his weakness to a strange girl: "I have a problem with money".

Next Curtis (Ryan "RIPD" Reynolds) appears at the scene. A carefree charmer who just wanders around and seemingly has a girlfriend in every state. He's a smooth talker who gets everyone on his side that way. Similarly Gerry who's intrigued by this loner. He can't get hold of Curtis during a poker game. Even the monotonous voice on the tape he listens to in the car, can't help him. The endless list of traits and tics that some players show during poker, doesn't apply to Curtis. Gerry is convinced that Curtis is a kind of a good luck charm. A rabbit's foot so to speak. And together they leave for New Orleans to participate in a legendary poker tournament.

What follows is a grubby road movie showing the formation of an intimate bond between two total strangers. The trip leads along dark gambling halls and with neon equipped bars where lots of "Woodfords" are served. A sparkling and at the same time dramatic psychological observation about addiction and self-esteem. Superbly played by Reynolds and Mendelsohn. Both have their own demons to fight and despite their contrary character, they fit perfectly together. "Mississippi Grind" shows how someone tries to reverse his good fortune and in that way tries to obtain a new and better life.

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I think you'd be hard pressed to find a 2015 straight drama film that is more fun to watch than Mississippi Grind. I was really surprised at just how intelligent this film was while also being extremely entertaining. The premise and what I had seen from the marketing seemed to push the film in more of a 'Runner Runner' direction with it's tone and themes, but Mississippi Grind is much more than that. Not only is it great to watch Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn act alongside each other, but there's a surprising amount of depth to the story and it's characters that puts it up there as one of the best films of the year.

Focusing on Gerry, played by Mendelsohn, having a mid-life crisis as he's in major debt, divorced, and has a serious gambling problem. Enter Curtis, played by Reynolds, who adds excitement and 'luck' to Gerry's gambling life. The two are both very much lost in their own issues and their meeting feels more natural than it probably should. The strengths of the relationship and interesting dynamic ultimately goes to the two actor's performances. While Reynold's character is a happy go lucky guy on the outside, Reynolds adds so much more to him underneath. Same goes for Gerry, who should be an unlikable character considering he's in debt through self doing and even tries to steal money from his ex- wife, Mendelsohn grounds the character and the film to a perfect level.

Both the journey men go on various missions in hope of entering into a large buy in tournament in New Orleans, but you forget about that because you're more invested with what's going on outside of the casinos with these guys. The casinos add life to the film when it needs it and the poignant undertone of the story takes over at just the right time. It is a straight drama, but it's also very re- watchable just from the performances side of this film alone. To me, Mississippi Grind is one of the best directed films of the year. The story beats happen at just the right time giving it more depth than it probably deserves.

+Great lead performances

+Poignant script hits the beats at just the right time

+Entertaining and re-watchable

8.6/10

This is a film about two poker players who strike up a friendship and go on a road trip to win their fortune. The problem is that one of them doesn't know when to quit. This is one the best films I've seen about gambling and poker in a long time. The two lead actors , Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn are brilliant and they work really well together. Mendelsohn in particular is really convincing as man with a severe gambling problem. This doesn't glamorise gambling at all and it highlights all the pitfalls of not being able to stop gambling. Essentially this is a road movie that despite having many bumps is actually a really good journey to be on for the viewer.

Once again the IMDb user rating fails to reflect the true quality of a movie and I have to side with the critics. So be it because I was surprised how much I liked Mississippi grind. The acting from the two leads was exceptional, particularly Ben Mendelsohn. The writing is very natural and realistic as well. As usual, I would normally side with users, but every once in a while (such as with the guest) the critics know what they're doing and quite frankly the users couldn't be any more wrong, with a rating of 6.4/10 I would call this film criminally underrated, just so you know I don't say that often.

To steer haters away I will tell you this movie can be quite depressing at times, it's writing and acting is so raw that the emotion and situations really get to you. I don't know about you but any weird feelings this film gave me were on a positive note (quality wise anyways). I love different movies, on first glance I was thinking this was just another gambling movie, you know what I was wrong. This film does things not many other films have done, such as the feelings it gave to me.

I love and I mean LOVE different movies, and this film is quite different, full of lots of bits that are left un said and yet if the viewer is immersed properly they will feel it and it works and it really worked for me. Yes the characters in the movie have a gambling problem and it can be quite un comfortable to see what they do themselves and others but you know what not every movie is going to have happy go lucky optimistic heroes, so if you don't like movies with characters that aren't picture perfect steer clear.

I apologize for my rather vague review, I am coming right off of my initial viewing so keep that in mind but don't think of this as a review but more as a recommendation. I'm not saying this is the best movie ever but for those such as myself in search of something different I would highly recommend this film and I would put this up with some of the greatest gambling movies EVER. Initially I give this a 10/10 but as I said I'm fresh out of the viewing so I have to give this movie some time to absorb to give a more proper assessment, but no doubt Mississippi Grind is worth a viewing. Thanks for reading my recommendation and hopefully you'll enjoy this hidden gem.