Review: ‘Mississippi Grind’ follows friends to the bottom of the barrel (Includes first-hand account)
There’s something about addiction in film that is both concerning and fascinating. On the one hand, it’s troubling to see someone basically powerless to resist an activity they know to be harmful to them and the people around them. On the other hand, similar to the morbid appeal of a car accident, one simply becomes absorbed by their poor decision-making and the dramatic aura that accompanies it; plus there’s always the possibility that this time they’re really going to turn things around and you don’t want to miss that moment. Of course, until they do, everyone they know is physically and emotionally at risk. That is a brief overview of Mississippi Grind.
Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) is a mediocre real estate agent and an even worse gambler, but that doesn’t mean he’s giving up either occupation. One day a carefree, well-to-do player named Curtis (Ryan Reynolds) sits at Gerry’s table at a poker tournament and the two have an immediate connection. They run into each other again later at a bar and become instant friends as Gerry thinks Curtis is his good luck charm. With that theory in mind, the pair embark on a road trip with Curtis’ money and Gerry’s car. Their destination is a high-stakes card game and their plan is to win the $25,000 buy-in on the way.
Gerry shows all the signs of a gambling addict: unable to quit when he’s ahead; lying about losing; buried in overwhelming and mounting debt; and stealing from his loved ones. Yet, in spite of the warnings, Curtis thinks he’s a good man and hopes that their partnership will somehow put him on the path to redemption. However Curtis is also hooked on the vicarious rush of winning, so his version of helping isn’t necessarily the best or most effective kind.
The film is more or less a road-trip version of Rounders, but somewhat less sombre thanks to Curtis’ upbeat personality. Moving from city to city, local game to local game, the focus is on the budding and waning friendship between the two men rather than the games they play. The only other characters to leave their mark on the picture are the old and new flames they encounter along the way. Both men are lost and looking for answers in all the wrong places, though they’re misguided search is entertaining. And Mendelsohn and Reynolds are quite appropriately casted because even though it’s difficult to understand why they’re together, they do exhibit a believable chemistry.
Directors: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Ryan Reynolds and Yvonne Landry
