A 2022 Review of Mississippi Grind

Mississippi Grind Synopsis

The basic story of Mississippi Grind is about two unlikely gamblers who meet by chance at a Poker game. During the game, Curtis tells everyone about his friend Tony Roundtree who holds a $25,000 Poker game every month. Later on, Curtis and Gerry cross each other’s paths again in a bar where Curtis is busy winning a darts game. Gerry notices how Curtis has a real lucky streak, and tells him, “Good things happen to him when he’s around”. Always on the lookout for the next big opportunity, Gerry believes Curtis will be his lucky charm, and convinces Curtis to take that trip to New Orleans to play in Roundtree’s game.

Mississippi Grind Characters

If there’s anything Mississippi Grind teaches the audience, it’s that when it comes to gambling, you can win – but not all the time. You got to know when to quit while you’re ahead. This is where the film juxtaposes the polar opposites between Gerry’s way of gambling, and Curtis’ perfectly.

With age doesn’t come maturity. Gerry is living proof of that. As a real estate agent, it can’t be said that by day he tries to sell houses while at night he gambles. No. His main focus is always gambling. His ultimate downfall. It’s taken over his life completely. Him constantly listening to “200 Poker Tells” by Joe Navvarro every time he drives around is just one example of his obsession.

He doesn’t know when to stop, as the only thing that matters to him is his big break and winning. Him chasing those wins has ironically lost him both his wife and his child. It’s gotten so out of hand, that he owes everybody around town a lot of money – even being threatened by Sam who calmly says she’ll send her henchman Tim to “pay him a visit”.

Curtis, as young as he is, is more mature and grounded. This becomes evident early on when Curtis tells Gerry he doesn’t care about winning, he just likes people and likes to play. His metaphor for life is, “The journey is the destination”. For Curtis, the “journey” to success is more important than reaching where you’re going in this never-ending adventure called life.

Chasing Rainbows

A common theme in Mississippi Grind is the rainbow seen in the beginning of the movie. A symbol of luck, good fortune, and that elusive pot of gold… The one Gerry always seems so intent on pursuing… Throughout the film, there are various references to rainbows. Curtis mentions it at the Poker table game where he met Gerry for the first time. ‘Dynamic Rainbow’ was the name of the winning greyhound Curtis bet on (there’s that lucky streak of his again). Gerry plays a slot machine called ‘Rainbow Riches’ in the casino. Whenever Curtis feels the need to move on when he’s “done with a place or a thing”, he’ll say it’s “Machu Picchu time”. Or as he describes it, “It’s kind of like the end of his rainbow”.