Poor Schlubs

Movie: Grinders

My Rating: 3 stars

Wow, this movie is really a bummer.  It’s an indie documentary about super-delusional people and the depressing lives they’ve created for themselves.  This film follows the lives of a handful of “professional” poker players (or “grinders,” as they call themselves).  Sure, there are a few people in the world who can legitimately support themselves through nothing other than playing poker, but there are a whole lot more people who merely think they can.  These guys deceive themselves into thinking they’re making a living, but they don’t really have any real bills to pay since they’re usually living in mom’s basement, eating her food, and don’t have families of their own to support.  They’re willfully oblivious of the fact that they are actually dependents themselves.

This movie would be funny if it weren’t so sad.  Only a truly mean spirited person would be able to laugh at these poor fellows as they ignorantly wallow in their own uselessness.  With no real marketable skills, it’s not like any of these guys have any other exciting career options.  So, the idea of making millions of dollars at the exciting game of poker seems too good to be true.  They’re attracted to the glitter of the Las Vegas lifestyle, with all the girls, and cash, and endless bottles of luxury champagne.  But, they’re only dreaming of this because they’re fat, basement ogres, who have never experienced anything remotely like this glamorous fantasy before.  They don’t realize that this way of living isn’t really real. Or, that even if it were, the champagne would soon lose its appeal, the girls would probably start getting crabby and whiny (and expensive), and the glitz wouldn’t really solve any of the emotional issues or insecurities they’re bringing to the table.  It’s all pretty heartbreaking.  This documentary really highlights some of the inherent follies of man.  People are always looking forward, toward what we could be or have, and this is what drives us forward.  But, sometimes we have the tendency to slip into fantasy.

This film is a little hard to watch, since you’re pretty much just seeing people fail at their pursuits for an hour and a half.  That’s never very pleasant.  But, it’s still a pretty good film.  It has a strong theme, plenty of examples to illustrate the central points, and enough whimsical glue to hold it all together.  Plus, it would make a pretty effective” scared straight” tool if anyone has a lay-about teenager who fancies himself a bit of a card sharp.