Director: Aaron Sorkin
By Alex Watson
Aaron Sorkin's first time behind the lens is certainly an entertaining one. Molly's Game has plenty of visual and narrative trickery to make it a slick and engaging drama. Although Sorkin shows promise, this movie doesn't quite have the winning hand needed. There is great tension and intrigue in the gambling world that Molly Bloom immersed herself in and a typically strong Jessica Chastain gives this tale a boost.
Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) is a former skier who has recently moved to Los Angeles. Quickly she finds a job working for a douchey Hollywood executive who asks her to organize a weekly poker night. Immediately she discovers a knack for running game night's and soon she attains a big celebrity clientele. However, her ascent to becoming a 'poker princess' will lead to her eventually crossing into illegal territory.
Molly's Game is a movie that clearly respects and admires its subject. In a breathless and enrapturing opening, we meet Molly as a member of the U.S Ski Team attempting to qualify for the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. When she is injured, she has to rethink her career path and this is what leads her towards the poker world. Bloom soon emerges as a contender with both the savvy and smarts to build an empire. At first, she lives by a tight moral code as she refuses to accept payment and stays away from gambling herself. The early heyday is where the movie is at its strongest and Sorkin builds a great interest in not only how the game functions but the methods Molly uses to stay ahead. The movie moves back and forth between past and present to when Molly is being charged for her alleged involvement with the Russian mafia. Attorney Charlie Jaffrey (Idris Elba) is now faced with a near-impossible task of keeping her out of prison.
To keep her out of the big house, Molly must reveal what she knows to the US government. Keeping her cards close, she refuses to fold under pressure. This leads to verbal jousting between her and Charlie as her attorney mentally digests her decision to keep silent. There are some interesting aspects to Molly's backstory such as her fractured relationship with her psychologist father (An underused Kevin Costner). Her rise in the gambling world is what keeps this movie at the table and although she becomes vastly wealthy, she often rubs others the wrong way. Falling foul of high rolling celebrity Player X (Michael Cera) forces her to relocate to New York which is where her downfall begins. The problem that Sorkin faces midway is sustaining interesting and upping the already high stakes. Unfortunately, despite some unpredictable storytelling, this movie is unable to lift itself to where it needs to be.
The third act of Molly's Game is where the game beings to fold. Sorkin is keen to point out that Molly is very much a victim of having her success abused by wealthy men. What Molly Bloom achieved is nothing short of remarkable, but Sorkin seems to be unclear in what sort of reaction he wants from his audience? Because of this indecision, the wanted fireworks are never released during the film's finale. The scenes between Molly and Charlie are often enthralling but seem to lack a special something to make them memorable. Sorkin's movie desperately wants to be a classic poker movie and so far, it is definitely the best modern movie about playing cards. As much as we want it to be an award's contender it cannot bluff like a pro.
Jessica Chastain proves she is one of the Hollywood's elite talents with yet another powerhouse turn. As Molly Bloom, she is strong, smart and has plenty of moxie to boot. Showing this character as one weary from her time riding high, Chastain peals away the layers of this character to reveal who deep her conflict runs. Already an award's favourite, you can expect Chastain's name to appear constantly come Oscar time. Idris Elba, unfortunately, is stuck in a less weighty role as Charlie. Reduced to just shouting constantly, his presence does inspire some great scenes with Chastain. Sadly, this character is drastically underwritten so any potential effects are lost.
Molly's Game shows that Aaron Sorkin can walk the walk behind the lens as well as on paper. With time, our favourite writer could be something special!
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