Review of The Grand (2007) by John P — 07 Jun 2009

The Grand very desperately wants to be a Christopher Guest style mockumentary about the poker craze. To that end, the producers go a long way in assembling an eclectic cast: Woody Harrelson, David Cross, Dennis Farina, Werner Herzog, Richard Kind, Gabe Kaplan, Michael McKean, Cheryl Hines, Chris Parnell, and Julie Claire.

With a crew like that, I expect the humor to click occasionally. It does, but not enough. The film producers would have shown more wisdom if they had made a concerted effort to secure Mr. Guest as their writer.

Too often, the movie aims for the obvious punchlines, and director Zak Penn forces this approach with a consistency that pushes the characters over the top. What's missing? The nuanced improvisation that makes Guest's mockumentaries (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind) so delightful.