The Grand

for some reason the cover of this movie had me worried it was corny and awful, but with actors like David cross, werner herzog, and cheryl hines, i really wanted to give it a chance. what i ended up watching was hours of horrible snl style skits, done over and over again, with no punch-line, no intelligent thought, and terrible film-making/acting. how all these actors got together and decided to do this is beyond me, unless they were already going to be in town to play poker anyways or something. don't waste your time seeing this movie, its seriously the worst thing I've seen in a long time. it tries to be a "David guest" style mocu-mentary, but fails horribly, and ends up giving whoever watches it a headache and a horrible impression of who people like werner herzog and David cross are, don't judge them by the fact that they are in this movie, they are both talented individuals.

This movie was sublime. I love improvisation and it was so interesting to see this ensemble cast able to do this. I loved how the games that they were playing was in an actual tournament, which I had no idea of whilst watching the movie, only after reading this IMDb profile. It is also interesting to note that the final poker game in the movie was not scripted and that it was actually a game between woody harrelsson and cheryl hines (not the $10 million at stake though). For myself, I found that David Cross was the star. His dead pan style as well as his hilarious anecdotes and almost Gervais-like ability to create awkwardness made th scene with him in it an absolute treat to watch. This movie will not disappoint anyone who can appreciate non-scripted humor and how difficult it is. Adrian

If you're familiar with poker tournaments, either from watching them on ESPN (that's right, ESPN...) or in person in Vegas or Atlantic City, you'll recognize the players in this movie. They live in the Outer Limits. Wearing dark shades and/or masks at the poker table to hide their "poker faces." Most likely dysfunctional and anti-social, as the poker players in this mostly hilarious mockumentary are. The entire cast shines but my favorite is Chris Parnell as a player named "Harold Melvin." His character's name alone is part of the joke. Throw in German filmmaker Werner Herzog as a certifiable player named simply "The German," the late, great Dennis Farina as a mob-connected (this is Vegas, after all...) former champion "LBJ Deuce Fairbanks," and Kotter himself as the father of two poker pros, and get ready for a great time.

Being a regular poker player myself, i was probably more interested in watching this, than a non poker player, but you do not have to be an avid poker fan to enjoy this movie, though it would be slightly more interesting if you was. Although the main basis of the film is about 6 people who have made the final table of a £10m poker tournament, it goes into more detail at the start of the film, of each particular person and their background etc, so by the end of the movie when the final is being played, you will probably have a favourite as to who you want to win. But although the movie was watchable, it wasn't that good that you would want to watch it again and halfway through the film you've a pretty good idea how its going to end. If you are into poker, look out for cameo appearances of Doyle Brunson and Phil Helmuth. Verdict: Watchable but don't expect too much out of it.

I really love this movie ... some of the set pieces are exquisitely timed and are truly very funny, Woody Harrelson is very good throughout and holds everything together well, Chris Parnell is at times hilarious, Gale Kaplan and Werner Herzog put in two brilliant top drawer comic cameos, and even Phil Gordon manages a good deadpan performance (much, much better than his poker?). There are plenty of other astutely drawn characters like Barry 'Sob Story', the 'Bust You Crew' and, need I say, Fred, Andy, Larry, Lainie and all the main characters are excellent. What story lines there are may be a bit obvious, but they do effectively drive the comedy right through to the epilogue and outtakes - I mean, who criticises the plot of Airplane? Story is not what The Grand is about, it is about laughing at poker, people and poker people. If you are a poker fan you should love this movie ... I am, so I can't comment if not ... perhaps you won't find it funny at all.

I'm not much interested in poker. Actually, I even don't play well. So, when I heard about this movie, I didn't pay much attention to it. But one day, I even can't explain why, I had a wish to watch it, maybe because a lot of really great actors play there. The main thing I want to say about it, is that it really made me to change my mind about poker. Now I really want to play this game and to do it well. It was really nice movie, very original, first I even thought that this is documental one, heh. So, it was very entertaining, it includes very good jokes, deep emotions, it shows relationships between each other and their attitude to game. So, this movie isn't only about poker as someone may think, this is big movie which refers to many important thing. So, I advice it to everyone, to those who like poker and to those who don't. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Yes, its silly, but so was Spinal Tap, which The Grand owes a debt to in many ways. Gabe Kaplan is hilarious as the father of two poker pros and Dennis Farina has the old time Vegas hood down pat. Phil Gordon, the best live teacher in poker, has some great lines as the tournament commentator. You will spot a friend or yourself in one or more of the players, and the cameos are fun, including Phil "the hillside strangler" Laak as he was introduced.. If you like poker and still have a funny bone, this is as good as it gets.

"The Grand" is a mockumentary about six internet poker players who gather in Las Vegas for a $10 million, winner-take-all tournament. A game, eclectic cast - Woody Harrelson, Hank Azaria, Chris Parnell, Ray Romano, Werner Herzog, Gabe Kaplan - struggles with a mediocre script that, in tone as well as in style, steals clumsily from all those far superior Christopher Guest movies like "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind." In the case of "The Grand," the humor is largely lacking, as each eccentric character plays out his little assigned shtick over and over and over again. As executed by writer/director Zak Penn, the poker scenes are particularly languid and lifeless and utterly incomprehensible to any non-poker players who may happen to be a part of the audience.

Very funny and hilarious movie showing the colorful and odd personalities in the poker world. Some real pro-poker players staring this movie so their interaction with the actors is even more funny. As absurd and funny some scenes may seem as a guy who watch and play poker a lot it brings me so many memories. The cast is great and when I see some of the actors elsewhere they immediately bring me back to this movie. There are so many quotes from the actual poker players in this movie which are present so well and spot on. Even commentators in this movie are some weird funny guys as it is in the World Series of Poker for example.