Ryan Reynolds has put his snark to good use as Deadpool; it’s a little frustrating that he’s using the same mannerisms for everything from Detective Pikachu to Fast and Furious, because he can play straight just as well. Similarly, Ben Mendelsohn is a terrific actor who has been typecast as a baddie in Ready Player One, Rogue One and Robin Hood; both of them need to be a bit more creatively cast. Fortunately, this film allows them to be something more than most blockbusters suggest, and it’s a great showcase for two good actors.
Writers and director Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck provide proof of concept that both men have the chops to do great work with Mississippi Grind, a downbeat but hugely impressive character study of who men under the narcotic grip of gambling. Gerry (Mendelsohn) is a poker player who imagines that hanging out with the younger, better-looking Curtis (Reynolds) might change his luck; he’s right in a way, but not the way he imagines.
Both men are weak; a key dialogue scene hinges on their willingness to place a bet on something as random as the appearance of the next person to walk into a room.There’s spurts of ingeniousness, but also dpression and self-sabotage; there’s more to gambling than winning and losing, and Boden and Fleck do a great job at showing how betting is just part of the problem for those who seek fortune via strokes of luck.
A 70’s classic, Robert Altman’s California Split, was an obvious inspiration here, but Mississippi Grind has an energy and a loucheness all of its own if you’ve only seen these actors paying the rent in blockbusters, it’s something of a revelation to see what they can do in a small-scale drama like this.
I finally had time to catch a flick in the theatre, and The Card Counter reminded me of this ditty but with a far darker lens. Both are decent portrayals of an addictive lifestyle in the seediest of settings that I’m grateful to die without doing!
I always think gambling dramas depend far more on director and cast rather than story – we know the story: they are weak addicts and ruining their lives. They are always betting on drops of rain running down a window.. I like both actors. Reynolds was great in Free Guy – no sign of snarkiness there, if anything he was the one being snarked – and it’s good to see them in pictures that allow a bit more creativity.
I’ll need to take a look at Free Guy, but this is his best ‘serious’ performance. IMHO.
Free Guy works. Interesting to see him gets serious.
How does watching this cross eyed help at all? I refer to your use of the word “loucheness”.
and I just looked at the dictionary definition and not bleeding google. Still, disreputableness?
Is the correct answer.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ryan Reynolds even try to act. He’s so darn cute he doesn’t need to. This sounds like it might be too weird to process.
He’s good in the one where he’s trapped in a coffin. He’s the best thing in it.
I’d like to see this, though I wonder if I’d keep waiting for Reynolds to do something or be funny. Just watched his Hitman Bodyguard duo movies and enjoyed them muchly.
Watched the trailer- big YEP.
As long as you get that it’s not feelgood, this is an excellent, salty, thoughtful film for adults. Good acting and atmosphere. Turns up on the iPlayer every so often, worth keeping an eye out for.
I will, is it not streaming?
On Amazon, not Prime at the mo.
This is the best thing he’s done.