Original tweet…, Scenes where men loudly crying are played for "jokes" (a lá Adam Sandler) will not…. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. It's a character portrait, period. “The journey is the destination” being one of my favourites. Watch Gerry's face as he realizes that his ex-wife isn't just going to leap into his arms and start kissing him, and watch her face as she watches Gerry's face fall beneath the weight of reality. He is more or less as he presents himself, he seems to know himself better than Gerry, and in time his concern for Gerry seems borne out of real affection and empathy, not some sinister ulterior motive. It's just about psychology and the rhythms of friendship. Even after all they go through, there may just be that pot of gold at the end of their rainbow. I'm not really sure how to even explain this. Gerry is another keeper by Mendelsohn, a veteran Australian who is credible as a middle-American and is now on the short list of actors who are more exciting to watch when they're sitting at a bar thinking than most actors are when they're firing machine guns at helicopters. ⬇️⬇️⬇️, A24 is an independent New-York-based film company…, Watchlist of movies that only you and your best friends might appreciate. Filed Under: B-, Grade, Movie Reviews, R, Rating Tagged With: Ben Mendelsohn, Jackson Murphy Mississippi Grind movie review, Mississippi Grind movie review, Mississippi Grind review, Ryan Reynolds, Copyright © 2020 Lights Camera Jackson LLC. Mendelsohn’s Gerry is a struggling real estate agent with a gambling addiction. The movie makes more expressive use of tight closeups and slow zooms and meaningful reflections than any movie since "Inherent Vice." It feels so much like a lost American drama from 1975 (the year of "Nashville," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Shampoo") that the filmmakers could've gone ahead and set it in the period and outfitted the actors with wide lapel shirts and pants with flared legs. As they make their way down the Mississippi River, Gerry and Curtis manage to find themselves in just about every bar, racetrack, casino, and pool hall they can find, experiencing both incredible highs and dispiriting lows, but ultimately forging a deep and genuine bond that will stay with them long after their adventure is over. It starts in Dubuque, Iowa, in the middle of a card game, where a quiet and recessive-seeming man named Gerry (Mendelsohn) first meets a newcomer in town, Curtis (Ryan Reynolds), who has a knack for holding court. He's a habitual liar who can't give anyone a straight answer about when how much he's won or lost, or what he needs or wants. Ben Mendelsohns subtle acting is very good. Curtis has all the outward trappings of a self-destructive but magnetic flake, the kind of man who'd be thought of as a star within his own little community; Gerry seems every inch the put-upon, reactive "loser" character, the guy who'll go along with Curtis' wild schemes and end up regretting it. And the ending doesn’t quite match-up with the feel of the rest of the movie. “Mississippi Grind” is a solid and engaging drama about the extreme highs and lows of the world of gambling. This way is better, because it invests the movie with a sense of continual surprise and discovery. A strong theme throughout “Mississippi Grind” is the idea of rainbows bringing Curtis and Gerry good luck. This was a little slow for me at times, but definitely had its moments. The flavorful locales we visit along the way builds an atmosphere…, The most realistic depiction of gambling addiction to be found in a 2010s film, especially in how the film recognizes that even if/when a gambling addict finally pays off their debts, their addiction still stays with them, a huge reason for this being that many people form an addiction as a way of coping with loneliness, and also because of how capitalistic and exploitive the American gambling industry is. The symbolism is not heavy-handed and works quite well. Gerry, however, is bad news—maybe the worst news, because he genuinely likes Curtis but is a destructive person. The characters are a bit flat, you don't really learn anything by the end, but overall it's a decent gambling flick. Ben Mendelsohn plays a small-town compulsive gambler, a loser who's in debt but just can't quit taking risks. Ben Mendelsohn owns... finally shows a meek side, confirms that he's one of today's best working actors. Fate seems to want these two men to become friends, and they do become friends, but their relationship reveals itself as something other than what we expect. He stays out all night with Curtis and crashes at his place and almost blows a showing of a house. I really wanted to reach through the screen & slap the shit out of Ben Mendelsohns character, so it obviously evokes some emotion. The dawn of the new century, the first 20 years. It's bracing in its simplicity. some scenes were solid, & there was a moment i wished it had ended but it kept going which was disappointing. "Mississippi Grind" is co-written and co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the team behind the similarly '70s-influenced "Half Nelson" and "Sugar." The two strike up an immediate friendship and Gerry quickly persuades his new friend to accompany him on a road trip to a legendary high stakes poker game in New Orleans. It's about a mood, the small-time,…, A solid lil movie with a good, subdued Ryan Reynolds and a GREAT Ben Mendelsohn. Ben and Ryan sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I. . Mississippi Grind is a loose remake of Robert Altman’s 1974 “California Split,” and it is the truest delivery of impressive filmmaking by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck since their 2006 debut masterpiece “Half Nelson” – they had coasted along on tiny slices of life since then with “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” and “Sugar,” okay movies but not much there (then after “Grind” they sold their hearts to Hollywood with … As photographed by Andrij Parekh and edited by Boden, this is a rare American film that is completely and proudly about what happens between people who've decided to be friends but don't know each other, and the discoveries they make as the blanks get filled in. He's made a new friend and wants his new friend to be happy. This low-budget indie more effectively portrays this culture (just how quickly you can make money – and how destructive it can be when you lose it) than both Mark Wahlberg’s recent remake of “The Gambler” and Will Smith’s con/crime caper “Focus” from earlier this year. The two make stops in cities to gamble along the way, including St. Louis, where Curtis reunities with on-again/off-again girlfriend Simone (“American Sniper”‘s Sienna Miller). News to nobody: Ben Mendelsohn. But Reynolds (who’s having a highlight year with this performance and his work in “Woman in Gold”) and Mendelsohn make us want to stay with “Mississippi Grind” to its somewhat predictable ending. The two set off on a road trip through the South with visions of winning back what's been lost. and A Most Beautiful Thing Among Nominees at Critics' Choice Documentary Awards. All Rights Reserved. Suggestion: Use www.random.org to draw which ones to…, Crowdsourced from Twitter - great films you think the vast majority of the world have missed out on. Think of Matt Damon and Edward Norton in "Rounders," or (although it has no major gambling element) Viggo Mortensen and David Morse in "The Indian Runner." With Ben Mendelsohn, Ryan Reynolds, Yvonne Landry, Anthony Howard. Low-lifes, not to put it too harshly, but still good and well-meaning people. Mississippi Grind is a 2015 American drama film directed and written by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. His charisma and effortless rapport with Mendelsohn make this a dual character study of sorts between two lovable losers that keeps on unearthing surprising new qualities the further we reach our anti-destination, for the journey is clearly the end game here. You never know how it'll turn out. The poster for "Mississippi Grind" might as well have a "40th anniversary!" nothing more & nothing less. Mississippi Grind is a rarity: an American movie about gambling that actually acknowledges that when you stay up all night in a badly lit room, your skin is likely to become very clammy and blotchy. This story of two losers gambling their way across America is a nostalgia act in the best way: it brings back aesthetic values that certain American filmmakers, writers and actors of the '70s embodied brilliantly and could showcase on a grand stage, because at that time the cinematic marketplace still allowed small-scaled films about people living small-scaled lives to get national theatrical releases, and serious attention, rather than dumping them to one or two theaters plus DVD or iTunes. the two leads had good chemistry, but there wasn't truly anything that stuck out in this film. I don’t know...I liked it, but I left feeling a bit bitter...weird! Curtis seems like a guy who’s just passing through town…and who’s passed through more than his share of towns. More details at A dark tale of gambling addiction that avoids certain clichés and carves it’s own path. The pace is a result of the mentality and psyche of our characters. Totally engaging, even if it never transcends CALIFORNIA SPLIT FOR DUMMIES. Parents need to know that Mississippi Grind is a drama about a gambler who forms a friendship with a man whom he thinks is a lucky charm. Every friendship is a bet on the future. Essential movies for lonely people out there (like me) if you want to feel something in this big big world.…, Tobias Andersen 8,407 films 16,724 762 Edit, Rules: Generate a number (from 1 to x) via: www.random.org, See how many number of films there are in the…, Check out the official top 100 narrative feature films by women directors list. Maybe the best use of Ryan Reynolds. Even someone like Ryan Reynolds knows he has to up his game when around him, because this is some of the best acting Reynolds has done. When Gerry insists on joining Curtis as he travels to a poker tournament—with Curtis providing Gerry's stake, of course—"Mississippi Grind" becomes a fairly traditional two-character road film, with stops to win back Gerry's estranged ex-wife ("Deadwood" costar Robin Weigert) and an interlude involving a couple of women (Analeigh Tipton and Sienna Miller) who take an immediate liking to the … The Mandalorian Faces Lies and Krykna in Chapter 10: The Passenger, Miles Morales Swings Players into the Future of Gaming, Lasting Fright: The Staying Power of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Mr.