“The journey is the destination, sweetheart.” —Curtis
Today’s quick review: Mississippi Grind. Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn), a washed-up gambler, sees his luck turn around when he meets Curtis (Ryan Reynolds), a roving gambler with an outgoing personality. The two hit it off, and Gerry decides to join Curtis on a roadtrip, gambling their way down the Mississippi to join a high-stakes poker game in New Orleans. But as their luck begins to wane, the two friends must decide whether to call it quits.
Mississippi Grind is a light drama about gambling, addiction, and life’s twists and turns. The film follows Gerry and Curtis, two strangers who become close friends over their shared love of gambling. Mississippi Grind focuses on character over plot. It tells a complete story, but it spends little time filling out an arc or building up to a finale. The result is a mundane movie with good characters, a wandering plot, and a fair amount of heart.
Mississippi Grind’s main draw is a pair of heartfelt performances from Ben Mendelsohn and Ryan Reynolds. Mendelsohn stars as Gerry, a real estate agent with a gambling addiction and a mountain of debt. Reynolds plays opposite him as Curtis, a friendly wanderer who likes to tell stories and prefers to take life as it comes. Both men are deeply flawed, but their unusual quirks and fast friendship make them likable in spite of their shortcomings.
That’s as far as Mississippi Grind goes. The movie does come full circle on its character arcs and picks a good place to end the story, but that’s the extent of the planning involved. Instead, the story develops organically, as impulsive and directionless as Curtis’ wanderings. The events of the story let Mississippi Grind dive deep into the character of both men, but they don’t build on one another the way the events of most films do.
As such, Mississippi Grind is more of an experience than a story with a definite conclusion. Those who want to spend time with two well-drawn characters in an environment with modest amounts of drama and dashes of levity may want to give Mississippi Grind a shot. Those hoping for an arc that goes somewhere, as opposed to characters who grow slowly and uncertainly, should look elsewhere.
For a character-driven crime movie with similar nuances, albeit a different plot, check out Matchstick Men. For a goofier roadtrip comedy with money on the line, try Kingpin. For a much heavier drama about gambling, check out The Hustler, Rounders, or The Gambler. For a story about cheating at blackjack, try 21.
6.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for good characters, interesting themes, and a pair of strong performances, hurt somewhat by its lack of direction.