Losing Ground

The premise behind Losing Ground is a snapshot into the day of a group of regulars at a video poker bar. It is not humorous like Clerks, but instead is a painful look at the grim reality of daily negative expected value gamblers. The characters are made up of the laid back bar keep, the old lady with nothing better to do, the young lady who should be doing something better with her time, the thirty something guy with his arm in a sling, his girlfriend who could do better and the drop in guest who is having a great day at the machines.

As opposed to other gambling films like The Cincinnati Kid, The Gambler, or California Split, there is no roller coaster for these players. It is just a steady decline into the abyss that from the outside looking in appears to be a gambling addiction. The players do not seem to have families and we do not get insight into their sources of income. Their source of income is not gambling as the “bar always wins.”

All in all it is a depressing movie that would only appeal to individuals who like a glimpse into the underbelly of society. I would not recommend to general audiences.