Mississippi Grind (2015)
Directed by: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Premise: A compulsive gambler (Ben Mendelsohn) facing financial hardship teams up with a charismatic card shark (Ryan Reynolds). They travel south along the Mississippi River, intending to score big in backroom poker games on their way to a tournament in New Orleans.
What Works: One of the stranger
developments in sports broadcasting has been the advent of televised
poker games. Some sports are more visually interesting than others but
watching other people play poker is about as thrilling as watching
someone fold laundry. That’s the difference between watching and
playing; the excitement of poker is internal and it requires the
players to maintain a flat demeanor. Translated to cinema, that tension
can make for compelling storytelling and Mississippi Grind is
a smart film that captures the excitement of gambling and the
lifestyle that it cultivates. The film is led by Ben Mendelsohn as
Gerry, a real estate agent who is also a compulsive gambler. Mendelsohn
is very good in this film. This is at heart an addiction narrative and
Mendelsohn captures the high that Gerry experiences in the midst of a
wager and his desperation to be a winner. When it comes to addiction
stories, there are two fundamental approaches. In some cases the addict
is a fool who the storytellers hold up to ridicule but in other cases
the addict is an empathetic person who just can’t escape his or her
appetites. Mississippi Grind is in the latter category.
Although Gerry makes some terrible decisions and gradually descends
toward rock bottom the film maintains empathy with him. The gambling
sequences possess the excitement that people feel in the midst of the
game but it goes further still; a compulsive gambler is someone who is
overcome by a poisonous form of hope. This is where Mendelsohn’s
performance is so impressive. It’s this man’s undying faith in the next
hand of cards that gets him into so much trouble. Ben Mendelsohn is
paired with Ryan Reynolds as carefree gambler Curtis. This is a case of
very good casting. Reynolds frequently plays smooth and witty
characters and Curtis calls upon Reynolds’ strengths as an actor. But
in Mississippi Grind Reynolds is a bit more nuanced than
usual; he’s got the wit but it’s packaged in a more human dimension. As
Gerry and Curtis work their way south, they are immersed in the
culture of casinos and backroom gambling. The film has an authentic
sense of place and Mississippi Grind has a great look
throughout. It captures the vibe of street level gambling and a lot of
the locations and supporting players have a local look instead of
Hollywood gloss.
What Doesn’t: The weakest element of Mississippi Grind
is the ending. The truth about gambling is that it is almost always a
losing proposition especially if the odds of winning are less than
fifty-fifty. When movies portray games of chance as games of skill it
is always a bit dishonest and when they characterize betting as a path
to a better life it is a message of false hope. Mississippi Grind portrays a character who keeps putting his winnings on the table and as a result keeps losing. For much of the story, Mississippi Grind
is honest about the folly of that path but the movie entertains the
idea that financial glory is just one more hand away. That works for
the film and gives credibility to the character’s continued gambling.
But without giving too much away, the finale of the movie betrays the
healthy cynicism that characterizes the rest of the picture and it
suggests that our main character has learned his limitations. The
finale is inconsistent with the tone of the story although it does make
Mississippi Grind satisfying in the fashion of a mainstream Hollywood movie.
DVD extras: Featurette.
Bottom Line: Mississippi Grind is a road trip movie and we’ve seen that before but it’s done with a great deal of humor and humanity. This film breaks out of its genre trappings to tell a highly entertaining story with terrific performances by Ben Mendelsohn and Ryan Reynolds.
Episode: #581 (February 7, 2016)