Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut highlights his writing prowess.
There’s something about gambling movies that is inherently captivating, and when the story comes from a real person’s life, the stakes are definitely raised. Molly’s Game takes the standard biopic and gives it an enticing, edgy presentation.
The pair of first-time director Aaron Sorkin and the powerful Jessica Chastain in the titular role combine to create a thrilling ride with witty dialogue and a tale that would be amazing if fiction but mind-blowing when based on fact.
The key relationship in the movie is between Molly and her lawyer Charlie (Idris Elba). He finds her fascinating (if infuriating) and works to solve the puzzle that is her life all while working to keep her out of jail. Not since Dave and Maddy talked over each other in Moonlighting have we seen a pair go at it like this. Their repartee is pure Sorkin.
Chastain plays this role with a forcefulness that borders on unbelievable, but her moments of cracking under the pressure keep her performance from spinning out of control. This is also her most cleavage-y role, though she never demeans herself; she’s adapting to the world of money and powerful men and easily pulls off being a sex symbol. She’s a complex, fully-realized character that makes Molly’s Game the success it is.
The other relationship that is explored in Molly’s Game is between father and daughter. Kevin Costner plays hard-driving Larry Bloom, a man who exemplifies the idea of “Tiger Dad.” Her early success in skiing almost got her to the Olympics, due in no small part in how her dad raised her. It’s this me-against-the-world attitude that allows her to make it in her very different second career of running poker rooms.
The worst thing about the movie is Elba’s “Noo Yawk” accent. He should have stuck with London. That said, if a dialect faux pas is the low point of a film, then the highs have surely been reached. He’s still Idris Elba and gives a more than solid performance.
The gambling is present but not overwrought. Viewers are given just enough of the basics of poker (via Chaistain’s ongoing voiceovers) to understand the drama going on at the table. Gamblers portrayed by the likes of Michael Cera and Chris O’Dowd provide pivotal moments in the film, though none of them reach Chastain’s and Elba’s level.
Molly’s Game is pure entertainment laced with action and character exploration par excellence. Sorkin has done well adding directing to his usual writing duties, and the stars deliver throughout. It would shocking if this wasn’t a favorite of the holiday season.
Molly’s Game opens on Christmas day 2017.