Poker Movie Review - The Grand

With poker booming as the nation's new favorite "sport," it was inevitable that Hollywood would cash in on the notoriety and create some grade poker B movies. In rhe past year, we've seen ESPN produce a poker drama series, and sat through a few pretty horrendous movies - two of the latest include the badly reviewed Lucky You and the upcoming Deal, starring the now intimidatingly old Mr. Burt Reynolds as a poker champion mentoring a young up and coming player. Deal will hit the theatres this April.

Whereas poker movies of late have typically treated the focus and lifestyle of the poker world in a somewhat solemn manner, The Grand, also due to premiere next month, is an improvisational comedy about poker players competing in a tournament similar to the WSOP. In this tourney, the namesake of the movie, players compete for a ten million dollar prize and a winner-take-all format.

Because The Grand approaches poker and its lifestyle in a blithe, jocular way, the movie appeals to a wider audience. Diehard poker fans and comedy aficionados alike can appreciate the amusing, if somewhat erratic plot. The film employs a quasi-documentary, gonzo-style and spatters the laughs with plenty of poker celeb cameos along the way. Actually, beyond the lighthearted banter, what makes this flick enjoyable is its well-composed portrayal of poker personalities, and gaggle of fictional characters reminiscent of notorious poker players… with all their peculiar quirks and deficiencies. There are decent poker scenes and plenty of inside poker jopkes in this movie.

The plot? There's not much of one really - it's more like a peek into the doings of a major tourney and an exposé of the craziness of the contestants. Some highlights recognized by this reviewer include Jack Faro, played by Woody Harrelson - always a delight - a complete dickhead who inherits a Vegas casino from his billionaire grandfather, and proceeds to run it into bankruptcy with an inherently bad business sense, neurotic addictions, and a penchant for doomed marriages. Another fun character is Harold Melvin (Chris Parnell), who is a total dork in his late 30's, lives with his mother, and has never been laid in his life. He is extraordinary with numbers (obv) as well as annoyingly and raucously critical of other players. In one scene, he criticizes Daniel Negreanu (playing himself), telling him he "should have moved in when [his] stack still meant something."

Cameos and small parts for poker players and poker-playing celebs include, Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, Shannon Elizabeth, and Robert Thompson as the tournament director> Also featured are Hank Azaria, Jason Alexander, and Phil Gordon playing a television poker analyst.

Some reviewers have hinted that The Grand may be the best poker movie since Rounders, but I'd tend not to get that excited about it. There are a few chuckles, but between the cheating (which could obviously never occur in live tournament play) and the rambling plot line, the movie is an hour or so's entertainment without a hell of a lot of substance. Worth the price of admission though - we give it a 3 out of 5.