[yasr_overall_rating]
Down on his luck and facing financial hardship, Gerry teams up with younger charismatic poker player, Curtis, in an attempt to change his luck. The two set off on a road trip through the South with visions of winning back what’s been lost.
We find ourselves befuddled with two losers, who can neither be labeled beautiful or lovable, on a gambling road trip down along the Mississippi, bustling in dive joints and river boat casinos, with the ultimate destination of New Orleans on the horizon, in Boden and Fleck’s “Mississippi Grind.” With their obsession of fated “signs,” these losers gamble their money and their lives in hopes of reaching something greater, yearning to fill the void plaguing them.
Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) is a hapless gambling addict who finds himself in financial crisis, owing many people large sums. Upon meeting Curtis (Ryan Reynolds), his “handsome leprechaun,” Gerry feels his luck is on the up. Curtis, a drifter, with no attachments to things or people, is a winning loser with a slick tongue and charming demeanor. It’s hard to determine whether the relationship between Gerry and Curtis is symbiotic or parasitic in nature, but witnessing their push-pull relationship unfold onscreen, you realize both need something from the other, what that something is isn’t entirely clear.
Gerry is a depressing live wire, always on the verge of desperation and always fully determined to go just that little bit further to reach gambling nirvana, for better or worse. And Curtis doesn’t mind going along for the ride, spouting off his own mythic stories, all the while observing Gerry from a distance, often disappointed, disgusted, and sometimes surprised by his depth as a person. After meeting new and old acquaintances, and a few brawls, they hit it big but it’s hard to determine whether they’ve won or lost in the grand scheme.
The dynamic between Mendelsohn and Reynolds is great. They feed off each other’s energy and play the life’s losers role perfectly. While they are great, there are also a few other gems thrown into the mix, including a scene between Gerry and Vanessa, a prostitute played by Analeigh Tipton. Tipton is heartbreakingly fragile and slightly coquettish making a lasting impression. Alfre Woodard’s role as a loan shark, is also short and memorable, the sharp coldness in her mannerisms and simple speech leaves you staggering a bit.
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s “Mississippi Grind,” flows on like a slow paced depressing Bruce Springsteen song, dragging you down by the collar of your shirt until you hit the pavement, bruised and bloodied. The murky and ragged atmosphere is a love song for all the down and out bluesy Americana landscapes, with all its losers and winners, who are destined to lose too. There’s too much finesse for “Mississippi Grind” to be raw or gritty. There’s an element missing that you can’t quite place for it to be truly gripping, but nonetheless, it’s an excellent character study for losers you wish you could love but find it so much easier to take pleasure in hating, and that’s not at all bad.
In select theaters including the LOOK Cinemas in Dallas now
