Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Fresh and Exciting

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The acting in this movie is really good.

I don't know anything about poker, but I'm always fascinated by interesting, unusual people. This film was a study of a group of unique characters who all share an obsession for poker and have come to play in a very high stakes tournament in Las Vegas. In documentary style, we get to know each of the characters, see them interviewed in their homes, learn about their past and what brought them to the present event, and then follow their experiences at the tournament.I really enjoyed this movie. It was a little gem that made me laugh quite a bit throughout. I didn't know anything about it when I saw it on cable, and didn't even realize it was improvised while watching it. Very talented and entertaining cast. Reading through the quotes from the movie made me laugh all over again and appreciate the dialog even more. Each character was so unique, when I think back through them, I have a hard time picking a favorite. Even the minor characters were hilariously played. Dennis Farina as the tough old school player riding a Rascal through the casinos, Werner Herzog as "The German" (complete with his own theme music) stroking his bunny, Michael McKean as the completely self- absorbed, self-important, and absolutely delusional "Billionare" to name a few.I'd highly recommend The Grand to those who can enjoy smaller films and character-driven humor rather than big obvious Hollywood yuks. In my opinion, this kind of storytelling and comedy is infinitely more satisfying and memorable than a big comedy production starring the latest funny man on the scene and filled with empty laughs.When the production of this movie was first announced, the director told Variety that the film was inspired by Christopher Guest's mockumentaries and Larry David's improvised HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. You can definitely see that in the finished product. If you like those types of improvised comedies, you'll really enjoy this film. I know I did!

for some reason the cover of this movie had me worried it was corny and awful, but with actors like David cross, werner herzog, and cheryl hines, i really wanted to give it a chance. what i ended up watching was hours of horrible snl style skits, done over and over again, with no punch-line, no intelligent thought, and terrible film-making/acting. how all these actors got together and decided to do this is beyond me, unless they were already going to be in town to play poker anyways or something. don't waste your time seeing this movie, its seriously the worst thing I've seen in a long time. it tries to be a "David guest" style mocu-mentary, but fails horribly, and ends up giving whoever watches it a headache and a horrible impression of who people like werner herzog and David cross are, don't judge them by the fact that they are in this movie, they are both talented individuals.

The Grand (2008)*** Zak Penn, writer of various superhero pictures, makes his return to the directors chair in this wildly uneven but nevertheless entertaining improvisational comedy. The film chronicles various poker players as they try to win big at The Grand Tournament in Las Vegas. Among the players are: Jack Fero (Woody Harrelson), a substance abusing womanizer looking to win the 10 million dollar pot to save his grandfather's passed down casino; Larry and Lanie Schwartzman (David Cross and Cheryl Hines), brother and sister competitors (also involved is their father and Lanie's husband, Fred, played by Ray Romano); Andy Andrews (Richard Kind), an amateur who has somehow made it all the way to the tournament, apparently on luck; Harold Melvin (Chris Parnell), a lonely Dune quoting genius who lives with his mother; Deuce Fairbanks (Dennis Farina), the oldtimer with many stories to tell about the old Las Vegas; and The German, a hardcore, animal sacrificing, quote poet played by who else but Werner Herzog. Various other actors, directors, and real life poker pros have cameos, some good, some just meh.There really isn't a whole lot to say for the plot, other than its about a poker tournament. Characters have their various story lines: Jack trying to save his casino; Larry and Lanie trying to deal with their overbearing father; Fred trying to get Manning on Yahoo! Fantasy Football; Harold and Andy have a budding friendship; Deuce, the German, and Jack's grandfather used to pal around, etc. Its mostly filler for comedy and those times where poker tables go on break. There are moments when the backstories have some very funny comedy (such as the relationship between Lanie and Fred); also very funny is Michael McKeen as the man trying to swindle Jack out of his casino. Other times the comedy is just a bit flat, backstory or front story. There are moments where jokes don't flow well, and certain jokes seem to be coming from another movie entirely. But overall, the laughs are consistently there, not always big but grinworthy. Besides, McKean and Herzog, for the amount of screen time they have, are almost worth the price of admission alone. Brett Ratner, of all people, also has a couple good moments that I suspect might be either hit or miss with most audiences.Penn is obviously going for a Spinal Tap or Guest-like rendering of poker tournaments. The dry wit is there, but so are the obvious go-for-laugh moments. Its not nearly as subtle as it could have been. The actors though mostly all deliver. Commendable in particular is the performance by Gabe Kaplan, pro poker player and Welcome Back Kotter alumnus, as Seth Schwartzman. He's annoying, as he was meant to be, but also pretty funny. Ray Romano is also very funny as the neurotic lighting strike survivor Fred.So improvisational was the set that Penn stated that they even improved the final table. They of course gave extra cash to players they wanted to win, but apparently things didn't pan out. Whatever the case, The Grand is overall a hit or miss affair that hits more often than it misses. I enjoy the impromptu nature of improv comedy, and the actors are clever enough to hit the funny in short bursts.

If you like and have played Texas hold 'em, you will find this movie entertaining as s**t ;] and you will rate it 9/10.I like and have played Texas hold 'em......don't know why rated it 8/10.To kick few more lines for getting my review posted I also say that even if you haven't played Texas Hold 'em, you won't regret watching this film. The joke is often hidden in real game situations, but besides that the rest is fun too. What else could I possibly say ? Take a beer with you ;]Enjoy ;]