Mississippi Grind is a 2015 American drama written and directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Sienna Miller, Ben Mendelsohn, Analeigh Tipton, Alfre Woodard and Robin Weigert.
The Main Story
The story is about Gerry ( Ben Mendelsohn ) who is a real estate agent and struggling gambler. He meets a young gambler called Curtis ( Ryan Reynolds ) at a casino in Dubuque, Iowa. They land up chatting and have a heavy night of drinking.
The 2 of them go to a dog track and win a large bet which Gerry gambles away. They move on to a bar and drunkenly bet $1000 on a pool game and land up getting kicked out of the bar. Curtis tells Gerry that “Machu Picchu time” is approaching, a phrase that he frequently uses when he leaves town.
Gerry and Curtis go on a gambling trip down the Mississippi River. Gerry plays Texas Hold ’em Poker while Curtis reunites with Simone, a prostitute.
In Memphis, Gerry plays well at Texas Hold ’em but loses everything on the final “river” card. However, he lies to Curtis and tells him that he won $7,000.
Curtis discovers his lie and has him beat up in the parking lot.
Nevertheless, they continue their journey and sell Gerry’s car to go to a horse race in New Orleans. They lose their money. Gerry finds another casino and bets the last of his money on roulette and blackjack and wins.
Curtis arrives at Gerry’s blackjack table, and Gerry shares his chips with him. They went on to win over half-million dollars.
The Ending
The following morning Curtis finds that Gerry has gone, but left him half of the money. On the table, there is a note that says “It’s Machu Picchu time”. Curtis heads off to Peru, and Gerry repurchases his car from the dealership and drives off, listening to the gambling tape he had left in the tape deck.