‘Mississippi Grind’ Movie Review
How about a movie that will take you down the deep end of gambling? You’ll see all the signs of downfall and experience the imminent personal failure of the main characters as if it was your own. And just when they are about to surely drown, gambling will lift them up and give them a chance for a new life. The 2015 movie ‘Mississippi Grind’ does just that.
In this ‘Mississippi Grind’ review, we’ll take you on a road trip down the Mississippi River and into the bright lights of the casinos all along. We’ll start by discussing the cast. We’ll make sure to give you a plot summary and the official trailer. Finally, we’ll explain what rainbows have to do with gambling.
The ‘Mississippi Grind’ Cast
With a cast like that, it’s normal that we’d start with the actors that include Ryan Reynolds (Curtis), Sienna Miller (Simone), Alfre Woodard (Sam), and Analeigh Tipton (Vanessa). The leading man in the ‘Mississippi Grind’ cast is Ben Mendelsohn who plays Gerry and makes a lasting impression with his skilled acting.
| Cast | Character |
|---|---|
| Ben Mendelsohn | Gerry |
| Ryan Reynolds | Curtis |
| Sienna Miller | Simone |
| Analeigh Tipton | Vanessa |
| Alfre Woodard | Sam |
| James Toback | Tony Roundtree |
The film was written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck – a film-making duo known for the movies Half Nelson (2006), Sugar (2008), and Captain Marvel (2019). Now, if you’re wondering who plays Tony Roundtree, that’s James Toback, who wrote the screenplay for The Gambler – the original 1974 movie, not the 2014 movie remake starring Mark Wahlberg.
‘Mississippi Grind’ Plot Summary
| Name | Mississippi Grind |
| Release Date | January 24, 2015 |
| Genre | Adventure, Drama |
| Director | Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck |
| Budget | $7.1 million |
| Box Office | $422,746 |
| IMDb Rating | 6.4/10 |
| Running Time | 1h 48min |
The ‘Mississippi Grind’ plot is based on the classic American story of two strangers becoming friends and finding who they are during a road trip. Like Mark Twain’s Huck and Tom, Gerry and Curtis follow the Mississippi River into the American South and down the road of self-discovery. Gerry is a middle-aged gambler who has an estranged ex-wife and daughter. He’s battling his addictions and owes money “to everyone.”
Curtis is a young gambler who claims he doesn’t “care about winning.” They meet at a poker tournament and proceed to betting on horse races, dog races, anything really. Then, Curtis says he’s going to New Orleans, and Gerry decides to tag along, believing Curtis is his good luck charm, his “lucky leprechaun.” They drive South playing casinos along the Mississippi River.
The journey is the destination. Gerry, played by Ben Mendelsohn in ‘Mississippi Grind’
Gerry’s addiction makes it impossible for him to stop when he’s winning and he’s left with nothing more than once. Curtis is the voice of reason as he repeatedly tries to slow down Gerry’s spiraling out of control. The ups and downs of gambling are depicted beautifully. The film wraps up with the two winning half a million dollars. Curtis plans to buy a white Cadillac and Gerry contemplates doing “something nice for his daughter.”
‘Mississippi Grind’ Trailer
There are a couple of trailers for this film and what they will do is not just make you want to watch the movie – which you should if you’re interested in gambling – but also depict correctly the thrill of winning and the impending doom of losing it all. But see for yourself if you’d like the movie. Have a look at the official ‘Mississippi Grind’ trailer:
The ‘Mississippi Grind’ Movie – Rainbows & Gambling
The symbol of the rainbow appears repeatedly in the ‘Mississippi Grind’ movie. The first time it is mentioned, it refers to a literal rainbow. At the very beginning, Gerry is making small talk at the poker table mentioning the beautiful rainbow there was the previous day. No one seems to have noticed it. Then, Curtis appears – he has seen that rainbow. From then on, there are metaphorical rainbows everywhere.
The two strangers gone friends overnight keep bumping into rainbows. They bet on a dog called Dynamic Rainbow, and the name of the Hawaiian football team is Rainbow Warriors. They decide to go down the Mississippi River and gamble to the end of the rainbow. And then, there’s Peru or Machu Picchu, used by Curtis as a name for his own personal escape from the world, his very own rainbow.
Machu Picchu… It’s kinda the end of my rainbow, you know… It’s mysterious and exotic, a place you just get lost. Curtis, played by Ryan Reynolds in ‘Mississippi Grind’
Yet, rainbows are more of an inside joke than a reality for the two. You see Gerry winning thanks to his lucky charm friend but also losing. A lot. Because of the excellent actor play, viewers can almost taste the utter loss of identity in the pitfall of gambling that is about to happen any minute. The only question is whether Gerry would put an end to his life himself or the people he owes money to would help him with that.
But then, there’s a twist in the tale. It’s like that Rocky moment when Rocky’s getting a beating and seems to be falling apart by the second, yet he overcomes the obstacles and rises to become the winner. Similarly, once Gerry makes a huge win and regains his self-confidence, he becomes the winner of his own self, and then the world’s his oyster.
He wins half a million playing the way he’s always played – by risking it all – but this time luck is on his side. Few would have correctly guessed the ending. Gerry quits being a loser, an addict, a social failure. He disregards the need to always double his winnings. He does the hardest thing in gambling – stops after a big win. And then he grows as a person – he decides to do something nice for his daughter with the money.
FAQ About ‘Mississippi Grind’
The fact that we have decided to write a ‘Mississippi Grind’ review might lead some to think we admire the wreck of gamblers the two movie characters are. However, we are in no way promoting compulsive gambling. Quite the opposite. We encourage safe and responsible gambling, just as we enable players to pick and devote their time to top USA online casinos only. Now, we’ll answer some common questions about the film.
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