My two biggest hobbies have always been poker and film. The mix of the two has rarely been a successful thing. Besides 'Rounders,' 'The Cincinnati Kid,' and a couple more, we really haven't received many great poker films. It's not for a lack of trying, unfortunately.
'The Grand' is jammed pack with a great cast if cincluding Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Tilly, Cheryl Hines, Dennis Farina, Richard Kind, Werner Herzog, Ray Romano, and David Cross. In addition, there's also a great poker cast including Phil Laak, Phil Gordon, Gabe Kaplan, Doyle Brunson, and Phil Hellmuth.
The story's not that bad either. . . the son of a casino owner (Harrelson), down on his luck, sells the rights to the winner-take-all $10 million tourney he runs, called The Grand, and is on the brink of losing his casino. His last shot to keep afloat is to win the tournament himself. He must battle his reputation, his inner demons, and his luck to take the crown and save himself and his casino.
But, unfortunately, there's a lot holding back the film. The execution, pacing, and poorly structure multiple story lines muddle the film into almost confusion. The most damaging element to this film, however, is the awful, awful poker. I mean, these guys are professionals and play like they've never seen a deck of cards or a stack of chips. Calling all in with A 8 high? Calling through pot-sized bets with A high and a backdoor flush draw? ' Anyway, it's not a great film, but the comedy makes it enjoyable. Don't expect a quality poker film, though.
Final Verdict: 6/10.
'The Grand' is jammed pack with a great cast if cincluding Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Tilly, Cheryl Hines, Dennis Farina, Richard Kind, Werner Herzog, Ray Romano, and David Cross. In addition, there's also a great poker cast including Phil Laak, Phil Gordon, Gabe Kaplan, Doyle Brunson, and Phil Hellmuth.
The story's not that bad either. . . the son of a casino owner (Harrelson), down on his luck, sells the rights to the winner-take-all $10 million tourney he runs, called The Grand, and is on the brink of losing his casino. His last shot to keep afloat is to win the tournament himself. He must battle his reputation, his inner demons, and his luck to take the crown and save himself and his casino.
But, unfortunately, there's a lot holding back the film. The execution, pacing, and poorly structure multiple story lines muddle the film into almost confusion. The most damaging element to this film, however, is the awful, awful poker. I mean, these guys are professionals and play like they've never seen a deck of cards or a stack of chips. Calling all in with A 8 high? Calling through pot-sized bets with A high and a backdoor flush draw? ' Anyway, it's not a great film, but the comedy makes it enjoyable. Don't expect a quality poker film, though.
Final Verdict: 6/10.