Rock and roll has This is Spinal Tap; Horror films have The Blair Witch Project; even dog shows got Best in Show. Some people feel a movie like this was way overdue, but it’s here now – poker finally has its very own mocumentary.

The Grand is a new type of poker film for several reasons. First of all - it’s a comedy. Poker is traditionally used in movies for its dramatic effects, whereas The Grand takes a satirical look at the colorful characters that make up the world of high-stakes poker. Filmed as if it were a documentary, the movie tells the story of the fictitious ‘Grand Championship of Poker’, which is ‘the second most famous high stakes poker tournament’.

The movie, which was filmed in the Gold Nugget in Las Vegas, follows the six players who make it to the final table. As expected, they are all eccentric and very entertaining characters. Woody Harrelson (Natural Born Killers) plays the lead role of Jack Faro, ‘the screw up’. After inheriting the Rabbit’s Foot casino, Faro makes every possible mistake (including getting married over 70 times) and runs the place to the ground. He must win the $10 million first prize to save the casino.

In order to win, Faro must beat other poker pros who are just as determined as he is, and sometimes even more eccentric. Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live) does an excellent job as ‘the genius who lives with his mom’. David Cross (Arrested Development) plays ‘the head case’, while Dennis Farina is the savvy and experienced ‘poker ledged’. Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) gets to act the role of the fearless woman poker player, and Richard Kind portrays the amateur who’s in over his head.

This is the second movie directed by Zak Penn, and also the second mocumentary – the first being Incident at Loch Ness, a comedy exploring the myth of the Loch Ness monster. Penn also wrote the script together with Matt Bierman, but the two didn’t actually write this movie in the conventional sense. Most of the dialogs are improvised by the actors, who all faced each other for a fixed poker tournament. Turns out improvisation is a skill used not only by poker players, but also by the actors who portray them.

More good news for poker enthusiasts is that the movie is filled with poker anecdotes, quotes, references, and many inside jokes. More importantly, many famous poker players make a cameo appearance as themselves. These include Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Hellmuth, Shannon Elizabeth and others. Phil Gordon, another real-life poker pro, displays some legitimate acting skills with his role as a TV poker analyst.

Just as they can be found hanging around any major tournament, poker-loving celebrities also make appearances in the movie. The only difference is that here, their main goal is not to walk away with money, but rather to bring their comedic gift to the poker table. Jason Alexander, Hank Azaria and Ray Liotta are the first that come to mind, but there are many more.

One final unexpected twist occurred way after the movie was over. The Golden Nugget announced lately that it will host The Grand Poker Series this summer, between June 6 and July 6. The tournament was inspired by ‘The Grand’ and its once fictitious tourmanemt, and will feature the following events: No-Limit Hold'em, Poker Queens Ladies Event, Pot-Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better, H.O.R.S.E., Pot-Limit Omaha, Senior Event, Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better, as well as a special celebrity event. Turns out that sometimes life does imitate art.

Related pages

Users comments