Customer Reviews

The Grand

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

When Zak Penn is not writing movies about the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk and Captain America, he does some quirky little indie movies.

And the follow-up to "Incident at Loch Ness" is a far steadier animal -- a sort of mockumentary about a professional poker competition, and the wide range of weirdos connected to it. It starts off rather slowly, but Penn quickly hits his stride -- the resulting movie has all of Vegas' flashy glitz, and the quirk factor of a long-lost Christopher Guest mockumentary.

Jack Faro (Woody Harrelson) inherited the Lucky Rabbit's Foot casino from his grandfather, but the casino has fallen on hard times -- primarily because Jack is addicted to everything he can snort, inject or drink, and he's been married seventy-four times. As the movie opens, he's been living in rehab for two years straight.

Now a casino mogul (a gloriously cutthroat Michael McKean) is going to raze the Rabbit's Foot unless Jack can produce the money. His only hope is to win The Grand, a professional poker competition against some of the greatest poker players in the world -- including frustrated housewife, her obnoxious brother, a vitriol-tongued savant, a cutthroat veteran, a psychopathic German and a teacher from the Frostbite Amputation Capital of the World.

So despite sponsoring the Grand, Faro joins it. But to save the Rabbit's Foot, he's not only going to have to survive the first rounds -- he'll have to use luck and skill to deal with the most cutthroat and/or talented poker players in the world. Tensions rise as the players work towards the final round -- but who will win ten million dollars?

When one of the characters intently tells the camera that he recites the Mentat oath "before I drink my brain juice," you know that Penn has hit comedic gold. The first ten minutes of "The Grand" are rather tedious, since Penn is only introducing the idea of the Grand and Faro's situation. But once he starts introducing the characters and bringing them together, the mockumentary really gets moving.

It follows the basic mockumentary formula -- a camera follows the characters around, and they talk seriously about bizarre things. Animal murder, Star Trek, pyromania ("I got this blowtorch as a wedding present..."), addictions and winning the competition ("I want to see the others crushed and disappear and crumble," the German says with the calm of a true psychopath). Even the poker commentators get in on the weirdness ("And it's easy, with the patented Mike Werbe flash cards!").

And along the way, the characters do some pretty weird stuff too, such as Jack hitting on a pretty new employee only to find that she's one of his countless ex-wives. Since the characters spend a great deal of time sitting down, Penn has to compensate with lots of amusing dialogue ("... also, you have corn in your teeth") and he's good at making things just slightly too surreal.

Despite all the quirk, it would be easy for "The Grand" to lapse into tedium because it's basically about people playing a card game, albeit for high stakes. But Penn's hilariously mocking writing ("Where are you from, your country? Is everyone as miserable as you?") and quickly shifting visions of the Strip and casinos keep things interesting. Lots of light, flash and sparkle.

Harrelson does a nice solid job as a much-married Vegas heir, who seems to be perpetually stoned and laid-back even when being ejected from his own casino. But you can see a little desperation in the scene with Michael McKean, who is utterly hilarious as the evil, weird Steve Lavisch (he wears a hard hat when he looks at his construction models).

And the other actors are also great -- Cheryl Hines is excellent as a wife who supports her family because of her hubby's fantasy football obsession, while Dennis Farina is deliciously nasty, Chris Parnell is unspeakably rude and weird ("Your bet on the river was as transparent as a cloaked Romulan bird of prey!"), and David Cross is bombastically horrific as Hines' "identical twin" brother.

And Werner Herzog deserves a special shout-out for playing The German. Yes, that is the character's name. The great director does a wonderful, straight-faced job as a clearly insane poker-player who likes to kill small animals, and at one point informs Melvin, "I will SQUISH you." He's awesome.

"The Grand" happily lampoons the wonderful world of pro poker, and it entertains a great deal along the way. Definitely one to check out, if the works of Christopher Guest have also been in the cards.

It comes close to being a waste of resources. A lot of plastic was used unnecessarily to do this movie. Slow and boring are a bit understated but I know of no words that sound worse or more informative. The acting was stiff and almost unnatural. It is a shame that some folks are going to think that this is the way to play polka. Perhaps this is the way to dance the polka but certainly not the way to play it. This was a movie that you did not push the pause button. You simply went to the fridge to get your icecream and come back when you were ready but hoping that the movie would be over and low and behold - it was not.

This film had its moments of humor, but they were few and far between, and likely as not to be found in one of the deleted scenes or character profiles. In fact, some of the funniest bits are with the real-world poker stars who make cameo appearances in the film.

The story centers on a $10 million poker tournament called The Grand (hence the name of the movie). The film was made on location in the old section of Las Vegas, in and around the Golden Nugget. Woody Harrelson is the main character in the movie and the only one in the tournament who is trying to win for semi-altruistic reasons. A heavy drug and alcohol abuser, who has lived in a rehab center for several years, he wants to buy back the casino he inherited from his dead uncle and then lost through various combinations of substance abuse and stupid decisions.

Of all the main characters, Woody Harrelson is perhaps the most likable, with Dennis Farina taking a close second place. Richard Kind's character is funny at first, but he quickly gets annoying and you find yourself glad when he makes his exit. The rest of the crew is a combination of mean and/or pathetic in different amounts.

The film is somewhat educational in that, if you know nothing about poker, you'll learn a few terms and some of the techniques employed by professional players. It is also good in that it doesn't really glamorize gambling, as the players are generally pathetic losers, each with their own crippling idiosyncrasies and lack of social skills. Harrelson's substance abuse is likewise portrayed in a pathetic light - he only manages to pass out in his hotel room after his "bender".

There are some small attempts at promoting familial reconciliation, but the people involved are so pathetic and mean spirited that it is more of a disappointment than heartwarming.

If someone is really into poker and/or thinks that cut-downs and insults are the height of humor, they would probably really enjoy this movie. If someone is a huge Woody Harrelson fan, or a fan of one of the other stars in the movie, they would likewise probably enjoy this movie. At Amazon's current price of $10, you can probably take a chance and see if it is for you, but you're likely to find this one for $5 or less in a bargain bin somewhere within a couple of months.

"The Grand Championship of Poker", held at the Golden Nugget Hotel in Las Vegas, furnishes the backdrop for this cleverly constructed mockumentary that will please aficionados of the card game, although viewers not conversant with the rules of poker will understandably be more interested in the personalities involved, thanks to the able leadership of director Zak Penn, who provides his cast with only a briefly outlined scenario from which to work. This, then, is primarily an improvisational work, with the actors representing actual well-known poker tournament contestants, all the while not themselves knowing the film's outcome, since they are engaged in ongoing competition with highly proficient professionals, contending for a winner-take-all prize of $10 million. Resourceful editing is the determinant to success for an episodic affair of this sort, and that duty is capably handled by Abby Schwarzwalder, being of particular value during the production's earlier segments, when a wide range of defined character types is created by director Penn. The film loses much of its impact during its lattermost sequences as a result of poker jargon being extensively utilized, and probably not comprehensible to a good many viewers. The Anchor Bay DVD release enjoys outstanding audio and visual quality and offers a liberal number of interesting extra features. These include: a brace of alternate endings; some truly comedic deleted scenes that have optional commentary by Penn, writer/executive producer Matt Bierman, and actor Michael Karnow; "Wild Cards" - a goodly amount of footage that profiles major players along with some cameo roles; a full-length audio commentary with Penn, Bierman and Karnow, marked by the director's efforts to keep the other two focussed upon the film; and a substantial group of selected scene commentaries with Penn and Woody Harrelson, in addition to one with the director and players Cheryl Hines and Ray Romano. From among a large collection of talented performers we may enjoy some excellent turns, acting honours going to Chris Parnell as a social misfit who is also a genius at poker. These extras, taken together, will comprise the principal reason for a majority of those who are not fans of poker playing to acquire this work, their entertainment value offsetting any constraints caused by a self-destructing effect fashioned from the game's usage of poker nomenclature, a failing that will leave many viewers adrift.

Okay, so Christopher Guest only makes a movie every three or four years, and For Your Consideration was not up to snuff: The Grand is in the fine mockumentary tradition started by the funniest film ever (AFI rating) "This Is Spinal Tap." The Grand is in the same vein as Best In Show, following disparate wacky characters in a contest, interspersed with interviews. It does not feel improvised, like the best Guest films and TIST--more scripted like The Office. It's not laugh-out-loud funny, but it is very amusing--no gross-out bathroom jokes, not cheap-shot sophomoric humor; instead, well-crafted (appropriately exaggerated) characterizations. Druggie Woody Harrelson has been living in a rehab facility for the past two years b/c it was easier than constantly readmitting him. Michael McKean (David St. Hubbins in TIST) plays a Donald Trump type real estate mogul trying to buy out Woody's Las Vegas casino, the site of the Grand poker tournament (winner-take-all prize $100 MM). Various competitors include filmmaker Werner Herzog as The German, a rodent-killing sociopath, Dennis Farina as a Rat Pack style Old School Vegas guy, David Cross as the loser acting-out brother of Cheryl Hines, a Poker Mom. The Announcers are poor imitations of Fred Willard's Best in Show tour de force, but there are several clever products mentioned that are worth replaying to read all the stuff written on the boxes.
Bottom line: if you like the Guest films, The Office, and This is Spinal Tap, give this a try.

This is a film with a cast involved that keeps you going "hey - it's that guy" which along with some pretty funny moments allows the film to progress pretty well for the first part of the movie. Unfortunately it takes a little too long to wrap everything up and towards the end of the film, you're sort of just waiting for it to be over.

Still overall a fun find - something I probably wouldn't have watched otherwise. I enjoy well done mocumentaries... this isn't Spinal Tap by any means, but it's still fun.

While I had not previously heard of The Grand, I was impressed by the cast - Jason Alexander, Ray Romano, Dennis Farina and, Woody Harrelson to name a few. After watching the preview on the product page, I thought this was a shoe in for an evening of laughs. Well, they say that the distance between theory and practice is shorter in theory than it is in practice...

The problem with The Grand is not the cast. Believe me they put in a truly valiant effort to save poorly conceived and written script. Part of the problem is the format of the movie, or should I say formats? The film is centered on the $10 million poker tournament known as The Grand. The movie starts with the backstory for the six contestants that wind up at the final table for the tournament. The transitions between character stories are abrupt and keep the movie from establishing a natural flow early on. The remainder of the film splits between the tournament action and "announcer commentary" along with additional backstory and outside events. Just when you get into the flow of the poker action the viewer is smacked upside the head with a hard left into backstory. It creates a very choppy experience. One would hope that the flow of the movie would be offset by some great one liners and laugh out loud moments. Sadly the rare moments I would myself laughing were out of disbelief at how utterly stupid something was. At these moments I would look over at my wife and see that she was merely shaking her head. Finally, this is all packaged with a fairly low production quality. While we aren't talking about The Blair Witch Project, the picture and sound are not on par with what you would see from a big time movie either.

Overall recommendation: Skip this one

I usually enjoy ensemble comedies, but not this one. It started out hopeful with Woody Harrelson really doing some funny lines as a recovering addict (such a bad addict he LIVES at a drug rehab full time), who, while on a binge, takes out a loan on his grandfather's casino with a land developer (Micheal McKean). Woody checks out of rehab to join a poker game called " The Grand", in hopes of paying off the loan and getting his casino back. The movie just goes down in a BORING ball of flames at this time. I had to FORCE myself to finish watching it. I won't give away the ending, but it ended okay in a BORING way.
I don't recommend this comedy, which is sad, because there are some really good actors in this movie. Just not an entertaining movie.

I don't know much beyond the basics about the game of poker. I usually flip right past those poker tournaments that are always being shown on cable these days - although, after watching this movie, I think I'll be more inclined to put down the remote and stop to watch them from now on. This movie is a very well-edited mix of written dialogue and (more) actor improvisation that surprisingly works most of the time. There are a few parts, mostly involving Woody Harrelson's character, that are a little over-the-top. However, even those are pretty funny in context. Most of the actors (except one) are pretty serious poker players in real life, so they were able to get completely into their parts. In fact, the climactic final round of the tournament was staged as a REAL game between the actors where the director and producer actually did NOT KNOW who was going to win. Because of that, they pre-shot different versions of some of the post-tournament scenes because some actors had to leave early and they didn't know in advance which ending they'd need to use. The unused scenes show up as extras on the dvd. Because they were playing for real, the final showdown between Woody Harrelson and Cheryl Hines was a huge shock for both the actors and the audience. It was great to see the genuine surprise on their faces, rather than to see them "acting" surprised. So, I recommend the movie itself quite highly. However, as a bonus, this dvd also has one of the most informative and entertaining commentary tracks I've heard with a movie. Usually, directors drone on and on about camera angles and lighting. These guys just let loose with anecdotes about every interesting thing that happened while they were making the movie, and it is as entertaining as the movie itself. This one's a keeper.

You look at the cast; names like Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano, David Cross, Richard Kind, Gabe Kaplan, and so many more. These are FUNNY people. Moreover, many, if not all of them, are very well-known, and highly competitive, poker players, which should be a plus in a comedy about a poker tournament. Moreover, it takes place at a REAL tournament. Moreover, this is hyped as an improvised film in the vein of "Waiting for Guffman", or "Best in Show" (although by different people... except for Michael McKean... yeah, he's in it, too). What could POSSIBLY go wrong?! That's not really the question. The REAL question is: How did this go so wrong? To put it simply: It ain't funny! Not at all!
What happened? As a guess let's go back to my first "moreover": "... highly competitive poker players". A comedian can stop being funny if the role depends on it. An actor can play any number of parts contrary to his/her own identity, if it is necessary to the film/play/whatever. BUT A POKER PLAYER CANNOT NOT PLAY POKER!!!!! He/she may try to be a "good sport". He/she may try to make light of the game. But, when push comes to shove it is in the very DNA of a poker player to take the game seriously. Could this be what happened with "The Grand"? I don't know. But something sure did.... or, more accurately, didn't. There are more laughs in the classic "The Cincinatti Kid"... and that's a tragedy... alll 'round.