Mississippi Grind (2015)

by Mark Murton

Directed by: Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) is an unlucky gambler who can’t stop betting, causing himself to become indebted to some unsavory characters. By chance he meets up with charismatic poker player Curtis (Ryan Reynolds) and the pair embark on a road trip hoping to change their luck.

Cat Burglars (Scene Stealers): After a night of heavy drinking with Curtis, Gerry returns home and fills a cat food bowl. A little later, when the pair have decided to make their way to a high-stakes poker game in New Orleans, Gerry goes back to the house and fills several bowls (one is actually a frying pan) with cat food. He then gives his ginger and white tabby cat a goodbye cuddle before leaving.

Mississippi Grind - Gerry Ben Mendelsohn hugging ginger and white tabby cat

When they arrive in St Louis, Curtis reunites with his prostitute girlfriend Simone (Sienna Miller) while Gerry gets to know her room-mate and fellow prostitute Vanessa (Analeigh Tipton) who performs a magic trick for him which culminates in her producing a tiny brown tabby kitten from under a blanket.

Mississippi Grind - Vanessa Analeigh Tipton holding tiny brown tabby kitten in cloth

Mississippi Grind - Vanessa Analeigh Tipton producing tiny brown tabby kitten from beneath cloth for Gerry Ben Mendelsohn animated gif

She hands the kitten to Gerry who cradles it gently in his hands.

Mississippi Grind - Gerry Ben Mendelsohn holding tiny brown tabby kitten in cloth

Vanessa insists that Gerry now show her a “trick” and he hands the cat back to her as he moves to the piano to play her a tune.

Mississippi Grind - tiny brown tabby kitten in cloth being passed

Mississippi Grind - Gerry Ben Mendelsohn playing piano as Vanessa Analeigh Tipton holds sleeping tiny brown tabby kitten on lap

Moving on, a bad night in Memphis turns worse for Gerry when he receives a message from those he owes money to asking “Where are you? Where’s the money? Your pussycat is worried . . . ” along with a picture of enforcer Tim holding the cat.

Mississippi Grind - ginger and white tabby cat photo with enforcer Tim on phone

Continuing their journey, Gerry asks Curtis if they can take a detour to Little Rock so he can visit his ex-wife Dorothy. Here he enquires about their daughter Wendy, noticing that he has been cut out of a photo of Wendy and the cat, which is clearly meant to be Gerry’s ginger and white tabby cat as a kitten. As Gerry is ushered from the house the photo frame gets knocked over and smashes as it hits the floor. This allows him to pilfer the picture which he stares at while sitting in his car in the movie’s final scene.