One of the most under-the-radar films of the coming autumn season is a comedy drama called Mississippi Grind that’s set for a late-September release. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, a legitimate box-office draw, and Ben Mendelsohn, a budding star who’s up for an Emmy for his recent work on the Netflix original show Bloodline. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and has since accumulated positive reviews from critics, according to RottenTomatoes.com.
Despite all these positives, the late-September release for which this film is slated isn’t even expected to be a full release. The film that seems to have everything going for it is being relegated to a limited theatrical release and an upload to video on demand platforms. Why? That’s really anybody’s guess, but the clearest answer may just be that the casino gambling at the heart of the film’s subject matter just isn’t appealing anymore to audiences.
There are actually a few logical reasons why this might be the case.
1. We’ve Seen It All Before
A few years ago, Westword.com published what’s still one of the most solid countdowns of the best gambling films of all time, and looking through the list, one can’t help but feel that they’ve covered every aspect of casino culture and intrigue. Rounders and The Cincinnati Kid took gambling outside of Vegas and in back rooms; Casino Royale and Casino brought espionage and crime connected to gambling establishments; The Cooler and The Gambler provided classic tales of addiction. And the best of them all, The Hustler, even gave us an unconventional game in high-stakes pool (as opposed to poker or casino slots).
Some might argue that a more modern take on casino culture is still needed, but even in this regard Hollywood has churned out a few films that, while not as well regarded as those in the aforementioned list, covered the bases. 21 took on the glamour of Vegas from the perspective of blackjack card counters, and Runner Runner was the first mainstream drama about online casinos. Simply put, by now it’s all been done—and it’s hard to imagine Mississippi Grind doing anything new.
2. Casino Culture Is Losing Its Intrigue
To be clear, live casino companies are actually doing pretty well considering the meteoric and ongoing rise of the Internet gambling industry around the world. Some expected online casinos to wipe out or at least sap significant business from live casinos. But for the most part, the total tourism benefits of casinos have been enough to keep them up and running. That doesn’t mean some of the basic cinematic intrigue of a casino setting—fancy clothes, sophisticated drinks, interactions with dealers and competitors, etc.—hasn’t lost some of its lustre.
Particularly for a lot of 20-somethings who grew up on the idea of Internet gambling, as opposed to fantasising about weekends away in Las Vegas, there’s just nothing that glamorous about casinos anymore. It’s not just that the games are available online these days; it’s that the whole experience is replicated there. Real money is exchanged, competition with live opponents takes place, and some casinos have even started providing video feeds to live card dealers! GalaCasino.com describes this feature as a way to “boost your enjoyment,” citing the friendliness and personalities of real, human dealers as opposed to automatically generated distribution. Given all of this, people just don’t see casino culture as the rare brand of entertainment it once represented. As a result, that culture is a less interesting cinematic backdrop.
3. Actors Are At A Loss For Creativity
We’ve already covered the assertion that pretty much everything that can be done in a gambling film has already happened, but that was with specific regard to plot and setting. It’s also worth noting that as classic gambling films have rolled out over the years, we’ve seen just about every imaginable character type that could be associated with such films. We’ve seen mobsters, corrupt casino bosses, morally uncompromising casino owners, helpful friends, addicted gamblers, etc. We’ve seen privileged folks risking it all, desperate folks taking a last shot at prosperity, and legendary gamblers taking on formidable challengers. We’ve seen families and friends jilted for the casino tables, and we’ve even seen gambling partnerships come together and fall apart.
With specific respect to Mississippi Grind: What’s left? Mendelsohn and Reynolds are both very capable actors, and judging by the early reviews, they acquit themselves quite well in this new film. But is there really anything left for them or for their director to try in crafting original gambling film characters?
None of this is meant to suggest that Mississippi Grind will be a bad film. In fact, it may even be a great one. But we already know that it won’t be widely released, which just may speak more to the condition of the genre than the quality of the project.
