Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Obviously the movie is not just about gambling addiction. But that aspect of the movie is portrayed quite accurately. Everyone knows what to expect from Ryan Reynolds, and he did a good job with his acting. But Mendelsohn's performance is immensely underrated. He portrays the sadness, the desperation, the hopelessness, the emptiness, the soullessness... everything that hides behind the eyes and within the mind of a gambling addict. He knows that gambling is not about winning money at all. (And the soundtrack is GREAT!). I will use this opportunity to recommend "Owning Mahowny" if you are interested in seeing another great movie about gambling addiction with the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman. I give "Mississippi Grind" 6.5/10

And a good one. A story about the highs and lows of addicted gamblers, made friends by their addiction. In any other world these two men would not have met; but at a card table they are one in the same. The story was a bit slow at times but I think it added to the hopelessness of a too long night turning into day and finding the next thing to do. This movie is more like reading a novel, not watching something like Casino, or 21.It's not a great story, but it's a good one. I'm glad I spent the time.

If you still haven't seen Mississippi Grind, don't waste your time, the pacing of the movie is extremely slow, the only half interesting part was around an hour and nine minutes into the movie where there was an intense few minute conversation between the two main characters, after that short scene the film instantly becomes boring again.If you want to watch a drama about people with financial problems i recommend "99 Homes" which is much more interesting and the pacing of the film is faster and straight to the point.

While "Mississippi Grind" may seem like a generic gambling movie that builds up to some final Vegas showdown - and at times it seems so - it's more of a road trip movie. It's about little moments here and there, and the drama doesn't come from the gambling. It comes from the characters and subtle reveals about them. It's a movie about those little things that make us human, most of all involving people who aren't bad people in a sense, but live a very unfulfilling life, having troubles to actually change their lives (or not even wanting a change) but still having some child-like hope. I challenge you to not see yourself, or even a piece of yourself in some of these characters. Many people will not like the fact that there really isn't a point to all of this. There isn't a character arc where one person overcomes everything and learns all of the life's hard lessons. There isn't a moment where you totally understand a character and all that he/she is about. There is an end, but it isn't a closure. And while that did bother me too to some extent, perhaps that was the point.Ryan Reynolds and (especially) Ben Mendelsohn are very good. Both have a sense of realness to them, and their chemistry is visible. In fact, there are no poor performances in this movie. Supporting actors are all very good, so thumbs up for them. Yvonne Landry, Kerry Cahill, and Stephanie Honoré come to mind, but everyone involved was very good. Writer/directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have to mentioned as well, good work.I have to compliment the soundtrack. There's a lot of good old "real" music to this film, like a road movie should have. It's used just right, not cynically trying to imitate a road movie soundtrack, but actually being a good road movie soundtrack. Most of the music is even played at bars.To summarize: "Mississippi Grind" doesn't seem to have a larger scheme in the traditional sense, but it's a well-acted, well-written and subtly directed little drama. Much like a road trip itself, where little things here and there make you think and feel something, the drama follows suit in a similar fashion. Don't expect a tight, compelling story, force-fed character motivations or even a powerful closure, and you might just enjoy it. I did, and I'm glad these kind of movies are still made.