77
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The GuardianJordan HoffmanThe GuardianJordan HoffmanWriter-director team Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (It’s Kind of A Funny Story, Half Nelson) must be applauded for refusing to let their shaggy dog tale line up with any predictable storyline.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe filmmakers' reluctance to over-explain character motivations has mostly kept their films out of the mainstream and will continue to do so here, but there's no shortage of impressions that resonate. And the performances of both Reynolds and Mendelsohn are fortified with deep feeling, working in admirable tandem.
- 80VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangFor all the impressive authenticity of the various settings, it’s Gerry and Curtis’ continually evolving push-pull dynamic that deservedly takes centerstage here, in a picture driven far less by narrative incident than by its gently pulsing comic undercurrents and vivid contemplation of character.
- 80Village VoiceSimon AbramsVillage VoiceSimon AbramsBitterly funny gambling comedy Mississippi Grind transcends its generic lovable-losers-on-a-bender plot by foregrounding exceptionally well-developed skid-row protagonists and weirdly charming dive-bar ambiance.
- 80Time OutDavid EhrlichTime OutDavid EhrlichA sweet, shambling, supremely enjoyable road movie about two compulsive gamblers of very different stripes.
- 75HitfixDrew McWeenyHitfixDrew McWeenyOne thing Mississippi Grind has in spades is soul, and that's a better bet than narrative mechanics any day.
- 75The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloSo long as the film focuses on that spiky rapport, and on the authentic, lived-in textures of the American Midwest, it’s thoroughly enjoyable. Unfortunately, the grittiness and weary pathos ultimately gives way to a disappointingly pat finale, undermining everything that came before.
- 63Slant MagazineChristopher GraySlant MagazineChristopher GrayRyan Boden and Anna Fleck convey an engagingly low-key atmosphere, pervasive with wayward souls haunted by poor choices.
- 58The PlaylistRodrigo PerezThe PlaylistRodrigo PerezFleck and Boden certainly have strong filmmaking smarts. They understand restraint, have terrific observational eyes, and know how to coax honest performances out of actors. So it’s perhaps a shame that Mississippi Grind is ultimately too underwhelming to stake with any confidence.