The Grand

Name: The Grand
Genre: Comedy
Released: March 21, 2008
Duration: 104 min
Rating: 57

2008

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Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews

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Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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6.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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The Grand

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Movie Details & Credits

Anchor Bay Entertainment | Release Date: March 21, 2008 | R

Summary: The Grand is in the tradition of such improvisational comedies as Best in Show and This Is Spinal Tap. The story is set in the world of professional poker and follows six players who reach the final table of the world's second-most-famous high-stakes tournament, the Grand Championship of Poker. The Grand was improvised from a detailedThe Grand is in the tradition of such improvisational comedies as Best in Show and This Is Spinal Tap. The story is set in the world of professional poker and follows six players who reach the final table of the world's second-most-famous high-stakes tournament, the Grand Championship of Poker. The Grand was improvised from a detailed treatment cowritten by Zak Penn and Matt Bierman, who also served as Executive Producer. (Anchor Blue Entertainment)… Expand

Director: Zak Penn

Genre(s): Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 104 min

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Critic Reviews

Don R. Lewis

The Grand is a fast and furious comedic attack that begs to be seen again. There’s just so much going on, it’s nearly impossible to keep up. Read full review

Premiere Aaron Hillis

The interpersonal dynamics haven't been scripted out very thoughtfully, so as the final 20 minutes wind down, it becomes increasingly tough for Penn and his talented cast to mine humor from a story that mandates they actually play elimination rounds of poker. Read full review

Jennie Punter

What makes The Grand a memorable comedy is that the main stories are really about families – how they screw you up and how they save you. And you don't have to understand poker to know the rules of that game. Read full review

John Anderson

Wildly uneven but often quite funny, The Grand allows its actors to act out, get the "E!" out of their systems and give the Christopher Guest treatment to professional gambling without Christopher Guest, with whom it would have been funnier and a lot more acerbic. Read full review

Ronnie Scheib

Safer, more conventional and closer to broad TV sketch humor than Christopher Guest's comedies of manners, The Grand never quite recoups in laughs what it loses in spontaneity. Read full review

Shawn Levy

There are small pleasures, but not many. It especially underwhelms when you consider how Penn seemed to have found a new paradigm for this now-hoary comic form. Read full review

Walter Addiego

The performers don't really seem at the top of their game here. Read full review

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User Reviews

ChadS.

Jun 28, 2008

Werner Herzog and Gabe Kaplan in the same movie? The next best thing would've been if they had shared the same screen space. The legendary director of "Fitzcarraldo" and "Aguirre, Wrath of God" is so funny, but what if the star of "Welcome Back, Kotter" got into a shouting match with Werner Herzog and Gabe Kaplan in the same movie? The next best thing would've been if they had shared the same screen space. The legendary director of "Fitzcarraldo" and "Aguirre, Wrath of God" is so funny, but what if the star of "Welcome Back, Kotter" got into a shouting match with him? Cult classic status would've been an automatic. Imagine this exchange. Herzog: "Ich bringe dich um!" Kaplan: "Up your nose with a rubber hose." It's a missed opportunity, but "The Grand" has enough eccentric characters and funny throwaway lines to excuse it's tendency to plod along without any sense of urgency. The bit that concerns a certain power trio from Canada doesn't quite match the hillarity of Steven Malkmus' shout-out in the Pavement song "Stereo"(from "Brighten the Corners"), but it's close.… Expand

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CoolmonkS.

Jun 13, 2008

Jokes and characters hit and miss as seems par for so many mockumentaries - probably enjoyable for tv tourney poker fans and those who like the genre nonetheless. It was a challenge for me to accept that a real hand-held camera/crew would have made it behind the closed doors in several Jokes and characters hit and miss as seems par for so many mockumentaries - probably enjoyable for tv tourney poker fans and those who like the genre nonetheless. It was a challenge for me to accept that a real hand-held camera/crew would have made it behind the closed doors in several scenes. By contrast, my sense of continuity isn't usually shaken by the camera use in NBC's The Office.… Expand

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JayH.

Jun 1, 2008

Semi mockumentary, not really all that funny. I never found it immensely engrossing. Amusing at times but it doesn't stand out in any way.

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