Mississippi Grind

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Ben Mendelsohn, Sienna Miller, Yvonne Landry, Alfre Woodard
Directed by: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A struggling gambler (Ben Mendelsohn) and his charismatic new friend (Ryan Reynolds) set off on a road trip down the Mississippi to gamble their way to fortune.

Review:

Tim: I always enjoy watching gambling movies. There's been a surprising amount of great gambling movies over the years. Unfortunately, Mississippi Grind doesn't quite make it in that conversation. This is a perfectly fine, decent movie, but it's never more than that.

The biggest appeal of this film is the pairing of Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn. I like both actors and they work very well together. Reynolds is at his best when he's playing these carefree, charismatic, engaging people. This role was right in his wheelhouse, so it's no surprise that he does well with it. I liked how his character had more depth than you might first expect. I've continually been impressed by Mendelsohn. He continues to fly under the radar, but he's exceptionally talented. While he usually plays antagonistic or unlikable characters, he can easily play those you want to root for as well. Here, he straddles the line- you like him and identify with him, but there is a darker side to him as well. It took an exceptional talent to perfectly balance himself between those two extremes, and Mendelsohn pulls it off. Seeing these two together is the best part of this film. I do want to briefly mention Sienna Miller. I continually dislike everything she does and that continues here. She's the most bland, forgettable actress I've ever seen. Nothing she does here sticks at all. She's like the lettuce of actresses- there's just nothing there.

For most of its run time, the film does a good job of telling a believable story. Gambling is a hard life and we get to see that vividly on screen. I appreciated that aspect. It's interesting to see how relationships can form under any conditions and then to watch as they change as the conditions change. We certainly got that opportunity here.

The problem with the film is that it never feels like it really builds up a sense of momentum. It's almost like the characters and the plot stumble towards the finish line. There's a few unexpected moments here and there, but it kind of feels like a slow march to the end. It makes the 1 hour, 48 minute film feel even longer. And, while I enjoyed the interactions between Reynolds and Mendelsohn, I never felt any emotional connection with the characters. I never became invested in them. I didn't care all that much about their journey or their plight. As their fortunes ebb and flow, the movie does ultimately ask us to suspend a bit too much of our disbelief. I struggled to do that at times. It felt like the movie was actively working not to be the typical Hollywood production, and then went there anyway. It does detract from the film.

Mississippi Grind will never be considered a great movie, but it does have its strengths. It's a decent movie overall and not one that I regretted watching. I wish it was better, but it's somewhat enjoyable.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Gambler, The Hustler, The Color of Money