Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

mikschulz I am unsure why all the actual actors said yes to making this movie... I like poker and poker movies but this is without a doubt one of the worst movies I have ever seen.The acting is bad, the poker scenes are bad and a lot of the time not accurate. I get that it is slap-stick but if you are going to make a movie that appeals to poker players, at the very least make it accurate!If one person reads this and decides not to watch the movie, writing this review was a better use of my time then watching this.I wish I could give a worse review but I don't want to have this removed.

michaeljhuman I can see where this movie would polarize people.I think people will like this the most who - a) Have a dry sense of humor b) Like "quirky" movies c) Have played and more importantly, watched enough poker on TV to recognize some of the people being parodiedIf you have only (a) and (b) going for you, you will perhaps find some scene funny, but not as funny as you would if you meet (c)For example here's some things to look for - * Gabe Kaplan is a REAL poker player, so it's nice to see him in a poker movie * Larry is somewhat of a composite guy, but definitely seems to be parodying Phil Helmuth (one of his quotes is lifted from an infamous Helmuth quote) * Larry and Laney (sp?) are bother and sister, with the sister usually coming out on top - there's two famous players who are brother and sister, and Annie the sister beat her brother Howard in a number of big events(Just to name a few references)Anyway, at times the dialog is awkward. But if you give it a chance, and can laugh at some of the awkward moments, you may enjoy it.Props to Parnell, Kaplan, Harreson, the female who played Laney (sp?), Phil Gordon and the person who played the "amateur" from Wisconsin for some pretty funny performances.

rsoonsa "The Grand Championship of Poker", held at the Golden Nugget Hotel in Las Vegas, furnishes the backdrop for this cleverly constructed mockumentary that will please aficionados of the card game, although viewers not conversant with the rules of poker will understandably be more interested in the personalities involved, thanks to the able leadership of director Zak Penn, who provides his cast with only a briefly outlined scenario from which to work. This, then, is primarily an improvisational work, with the actors representing actual well-known poker tournament contestants, all the while not themselves knowing the film's outcome, since they are engaged in ongoing competition with highly proficient professionals, contending for a winner-take-all prize of $10 million. Resourceful editing is the determinant to success for an episodic affair of this sort, and that duty is capably handled by Abby Schwarzwalder, being of particular value during the production's earlier segments, when a wide range of defined character types is created by director Penn. The film loses much of its impact during its lattermost sequences as a result of poker jargon being extensively utilized, and probably not comprehensible to a good many viewers. The Anchor Bay DVD release enjoys outstanding audio and visual quality and offers a liberal number of interesting extra features. These include: a brace of alternate endings; some truly comedic deleted scenes that have optional commentary by Penn, writer/executive producer Matt Bierman, and actor Michael Karnow; "Wild Cards" - a goodly amount of footage that profiles major players along with some cameo roles; a full-length audio commentary with Penn, Bierman and Karnow, marked by the director's efforts to keep the other two focused upon the film; and a large group of selected scene commentaries with Penn and Woody Harrelson, in addition to one with the director and players Cheryl Hines and Ray Romano. From among a large collection of talented performers we may enjoy some excellent turns, acting honours going to Chris Parnell as a social misfit who is also a genius at poker. These extras, taken together, will comprise the principal reason for a majority of those who are not fans of poker playing to acquire this work, their entertainment value offsetting any constraints caused by a self-destructing effect fashioned from the game's usage of poker nomenclature, a failing that will leave many viewers adrift.

adrian512 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