Ryan Reynolds' Best Movie On Rotten Tomatoes Is A Far Cry From Deadpool

When "Deadpool" opened to $132 million in North America over Valentine's Day weekend in 2016, everything changed for Ryan Reynolds. Up until that point of his career, he'd been an immensely appealing B-level star with A-list potential. His best shot at hitting the blockbuster big time came when he slipped on the power ring as Hal Jordan in 2011's "Green Lantern." When that not-as-bad-as-its-reputation-but-not-all-that-good-either $200 million gamble stalled out with a $220 million worldwide gross, Reynolds was back to being the wisecracking comedic engine of mostly ho-hum action movies and, on occasion, a very interesting actor in pretty good indie dramas.

That he hasn't made anything in that latter category of movies post-"Deadpool" is a bummer for those of us who think Reynolds has more to offer as a performer than a shotgun spray of smug quips in forgettable four-quadrant product like "Detective Pikachu" and "Free Guy." The "Deadpool" movies are clearly personal for Reynolds, which gives him the best of both worlds in a commercial sense. So it shouldn't be a major career risk to take a break from the profane, gore-coated mayhem of that billion-dollar franchise to play a character or two that's more recognizably human.

Reynolds will turn 48 this year, so maybe the approach of that half-century mark will instill in him a sense of mortality and urgency. "Deadpool" will almost certainly be in the first sentence of his obituary, but "Academy Award-winner" could be as well if he finds the right part. And he shouldn't view such a role as daunting because his best performance to date is in what is currently his freshest movie on Rotten Tomatoes.

Gambling isn't just an American pastime, but there's a sweaty, go-for-broke manner of betting that is quintessentially red, white, and blue. Because gambling, if you do it often, is invariably more about losing than winning.

This truth lies at the heart of many great gambling movies, and 2015's "Mississippi Grind," from the directing team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (who tried their luck at the superhero table four years later with "Captain Marvel"), belongs in a cinematic pantheon that includes classics like "The Hustler," "The Cincinnati Kid," and "Uncut Gems" (we here at /Film consider it Reynolds' finest film to date). Boden and Fleck's movie is most directly related to Robert Altman's "California Split," a boozy comedy masterpiece starring George Segal and Elliot Gould as a couple of degenerate gamblers looking for action anywhere they can find it. They're likably pathetic losers who seem happy to live in a state of near-destitute uncertainty, and we enjoy the hell out of the two hours we spend with them.

"Mississippi Grind" is decidedly less amusing. Though Reynolds and his co-star Ben Mendohlson (the MCU's Talos) strike a winning chemistry from the get-go, we get a much fuller sense of the lives they've ruined via their addiction. Mendohlson's ruined, sleepy-eyed real estate agent Gerry winds up being the heart of the film, but his character would be an impenetrable sad sack without Reynolds' live-wire Curtis. The pair bounce from Mississippi to St. Louis to New Orleans, where it looks like they both might go down for the very last time. By this point, we've pushed all in emotionally on these two bunglers. We're pretty sure there's no hope for them in the long term, but maybe one big win could jolt them back into something resembling a normal life.

"Mississippi Grind" barely got a theatrical release (A24 wasn't an indie juggernaut in 2015), but its 91% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes should hopefully convince you that it's well worth your time. Reynolds' Curtis isn't necessarily a departure for him; he's flip, funny and, particularly in his interactions with Sienna Miller's sex worker Simone, pretty damn hot. But unlike Wade/Deadpool and his protagonists in just about everything he's made from 2015 until now, his fast-talking charm causes problems for the people he purports to love (most notably his ex and the young daughter he's all but abandoned). Curtis ran out of chances with a lot of people in his life a very long time ago. They don't care if he changes. They just want him out of their lives permanently.

Much like Tom Cruise in "Rain Man" or "Eyes Wide Shut," Reynolds is at his absolute best when his high-wattage charm works against him. We see flashes of this in Greg Mottola's "Adventureland," especially when Jesse Eisenberg punctures his cool-dude facade near the end of the film, but there's so much more to explore here. Reynolds is a boundlessly resourceful actor who, while totally deserving of his "Deadpool" success, needs to pull out of this escapist pabulum rut.

So, do your part and maybe help make "Mississippi Grind" an out-of-nowhere streaming hit (even though it's only available for free at the moment via kanopy and Cinemax). We love Reynolds the star, but it's time for this winner to take a real creative risk again.