Film No. 89 (2015) December 13th. 10.30 AM LUNA Leederville.
"I like women too much to get married." (Curtis (Reynolds) comments to a native of New Orleans about his marital status).
A buddy road movie staring Ryan Reynolds may not be an attractive prospect for many movie goers. Well, you'll be pleased to know that Ryan Reynolds brings a real quality to Mississippi Grind. And while rough around the edges at times, Mississippi Grind is a well written drama which never tries to outsmart itself as it generates subtle character shifts.
Ben Mendleson's Gerry is a loser of the desperate kind. The film cleverly tricks us into quite liking Gerry until he drops in on his ex-wife Dorothy (Robin Weigert) under false pretenses. Then he quietly wins us back before the screen fades to black. It is Ryan Reynold's Curtis who we are unsure about til later on. And that is why Grind is more than its trailer and promotional blurb let on. It's a buddy/road movie with few new narrative ideas but with plenty of emotional twists and turns.
Gerry is the quintessential punter who's not very good at winning and never knows when to stop. Enter Curtis and Gerry's luck changes. Curtis has the right moves, he's sharp, charming and best of all, he's lucky. They team up and there's a chemistry in their union, this is the film's strength. We believe in their partnership for no good reason other than the fact that Reynolds and Mendleson gel.
The drama of Grind unfolds as the buddies take to the road and head south. We gradually learn more about their past and their insecurities when it comes to matters of the heart. Anna Bowden and Ryan Fleck write and direct with great heart. There is always an earthy, indi feel to their work, as in It's Kind Of Funny Story, and their actors revel in the character driven scenes. There is nothing predictable about Curtis or Gerry and that is the jewel in this crown. Bowden and Fleck have created their own indi, morality tale where predicting an outcome is not important. 9GUMS.
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