Mississippi Grind

Ben Mendelsohn and Ryan Reynolds star as gamblers travelling across America in this lacklustre buddy movie

Film Review by Lewis Porteous | 23 Oct 2015
Film title: Mississippi Grind
Director: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Ben Mendelsohn
Release date: 23 Oct
Certificate: 15

Writing-directing partnership Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck follow 2010’s execrable It’s Kind of a Funny Story with this self-conscious take on little seen Robert Altman classic California Split. A seedy buddy movie in which a pair of inveterate gamblers pinball across an American landscape of casinos and back rooms, Mississippi Grind chronicles the highs and lows of reckless living. What it sorely lacks is any sense of life.

Now an established character actor, Ben Mendelsohn steps comfortably into a leading role as Gerry, the debt-ridden loser who finds himself invigorated after a chance meeting with Ryan Reynolds’ Curtis. The pair’s bond initially masks the destructive nature of their favoured pastime, but selfishness and desperation soon encroach upon an otherwise sweet dynamic.

Had he better dialogue at his disposal, Reynolds could likely convey the charisma necessary for us to invest in his character. But while Gerry gets swept up by his friend's charms, the viewer remains indifferent and the ensuing hardships seem merely incidental.

Released by Entertainment One