Mississippi Grind (2015) Down on his luck and facing financial hardship, Gerry teams up with younger charismatic poker player, Curtis, in an attempt to change his luck. 1hr 48 mins



Movie is on Netflix! Good luck everyone.

WATCHED IT!

So this movie hit every mark that I thought it would, good and bad.

Mendelsohn and Reynolds really complimented each other. They both have such charming/wolfish personalities that really work for a story like this.

The problem with this movie is that it didn't know where to go, so it reverted to very cliche scenes to help carry the story to the finale. You know the big loss is going to come and you know there's going to be a falling out of some sorts between the two characters before they come together for one last hooray.

I gotta admit that I was pretty bored towards the third act of the movie. The scene with Gerry and his ex-wife is solid and the scene in the hotel room after Curtis realizes that Gerry lied is even better. What isn't great is the 10-15 minute montage of the two splitting up and being miserable without each other. It just felt very cheap to me and a little pointless.

I don't know what it is but the ending fell a little flat for me. The third act montage kills the momentum of the movie, so when it gets to their big win, it feels like the movie knew it needed to wrap up and the whole thing felt rushed and unearned.

I also don't really know how I felt about the Simone/Curtis subplot. Curtis admits to being an uncommitted drifter but keeps promising Simone a life together and even tells her he loves her during their big win. We then see Curtis wake up next to another woman and then hit on the employee to the hotel. So, what was the point? What change did he go through?

I shit on it a bit BUT I really did enjoy it. The acting is great and there are a handful of scenes that were very engaging to watch.

I loved Gerry having lunch with the woman he owes money to. They make you feel like the relationship between the two is friendly but then quickly turn it on you with the way she talks to him towards the end.

The magic trick/piano scene was pretty nice too. I kept wondering what my trick would be if I ever found myself in a similar situation with a girl. "Well uhh...I can show you my top 100 movies on letterboxd?"

I gave it a 7 which is a little gracious but whatever. It reels you in very early with the charm of it's actors and holds your attention for most of the movie. That's good enough for me.

I changed my mind, I gave it a 6.