I looked forward to seeing this movie since I am a big fan of it’s writer/director Aaron Sorkin, (making his directorial debut) and I enjoyed star Jessica Chastain’s performance in Zero Dark Thirty, (receiving an Oscar nomination for her lead role in 2012). The film tells the true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic level skier, who later hosted poker games that were frequented by celebrities and mobsters. Sorkin gives Chastain plenty of words to use in the 2h 20m drama, (she also narrates), and it was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, (but doubles for New York and LA). Idris Elba plays her lawyer, Kevin Costner her father, and Jeremy Strong and Michael Cera are part of her poker world. Keeping up with the dialogue heavy script, (Sorkin is also known for The West Wing series), made me feel like the film was an hour shorter than it was, and it kept me interested in seeing Molly’s growth as a character. The last 15 minutes felt rushed, specifically a conversation with Molly outside, but it also works between the two characters knowing who they are and what their history was like. We had a good idea of her backstory because of the time spent showing what her life was like prior to poker, (hope you don’t mind the film jumping back and forth through time). Built like an epic, the film shows her struggles, the lessons she learns, and builds to moments when her life changes forever, (heavy on the woman living in a man’s world). I liked the moments between the two leads the best, giving her a chance to show her intellectual horsepower, and having someone to keep up with her, (which was not always the case in the poker scenes). Molly Bloom actually wrote a book about her experiences, (which also inspired the film), and told Sorkin she wanted Chastain to play her, (an excellent choice).

Molly’s Game

IMDB

2017, 14A, 2h 20m