Review – Molly’s Game

There is a scene in Aaron Sorkin’s Molly’s Game where Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) is closing down one of her usual poker games in New York city.  A regular by the name of Douglas Downey (Chris O’Dowd), who usually stays after the game is over to drink and hang out, drunkenly stumbles over to Molly and plops down right next to her desk.  Molly knows what is coming, as Douglas is known for saying phrases that “sound like a detective novel” and then slurs a story or two.  Douglas looks at Molly and says, “victim of circumstance.” and then continues to ramble an incoherent story.  It is a subtle line in the movie, but it is one of power as it perfectly describes our main character: a victim of circumstance.

Sorkin gives us a portrait of a woman who is consistently beaten (sometimes literally) but one who does not give up.  At a young age, she was a highly touted skier who’s career is almost cut short by Scoliosis.  She came back from that to become one of the best female skiers in the nation and at 20, almost made it to the Olympics if it weren’t for a freak branch in the middle of her ski run that caused a violent fall and disqualified Molly from the Olympics.  But she persevered through that, and moved to L.A. and eventually became part of one of the biggest underground poker games in the city, which eventually led to her running her own game and then getting into legal trouble, which causes her to fight once again. No matter what the world throws at Molly, no matter how hard she gets knocked down, she always gets back up and fights even harder.

Jessica Chastain makes Molly Bloom come alive.  Chastain is ferocious, passionate, smart, and sexy, using her wits and business savvy to show how Bloom created a legal, successful business, and using her determination and strength to get through the toughest of times.  We watch as Molly goes from fierce competitor, to confident poker room runner, to a greedy drug addict, to a woman who has literally nothing but her name.  Chastain recites Sorkin’s dialog perfectly, coming quick with jokes and delivering powerful monologs.  Chastain continues to show why she is one of the best actresses working today.

We also get three of the best supporting actor performances in the film.  Idris Elba plays Molly’s lawyer Charlie Jaffey and it is Elba’s best performance since starring as Stringer Bell in HBO’s The Wire (2003).  Playing a no non-sense lawyer who continuously tries to get Molly to sign a plea bargain and give up the names of the people who played in her poker room, Elba plays a perfect counter to Chastain.  In typical Sorkin form, the two go back and forth on what is best for Molly and the words just light up the screen.  Elba also has the movie’s best scene, where he finally fully understands his client and gives one last plea to the people prosecuting Molly.  It is a long, towering speech and Elba puts everything he has into it.  It is a scene that will give you goosebumps while watching it and also pull at your heartstrings.

Kevin Costner is also sensational as Molly’s father.  Though not in the movie very often, Costner delivers one of the movie’s more emotional scenes, as he finally confronts his daughter after years of not talking and poor parenting. I haven’t seen Costner act like this in decades and I hope he finds more roles like this.  I also loved Michael Cera as Player X, the celebrity player who remains nameless.  This is the first time I’ve seen Cera truly act.  He isn’t the weird, awkward guy from Superbad (2007) or the coked out maniac from This is the End (2013), this is Cera in a new light.  There is a swagger that I didn’t know he had that electrifies the screen.  He has a really strong scene with Chastain that shows Player X isn’t the guy we thought he was and Cera plays it like a pro.  The talent is there, let’s see if Cera can grow from this.

Like all Sorkin screenplays, his words are like modern Shakespeare.  Based on a book of the same name written by Molly Bloom, Sorkin has written the best screenplay of 2017.  The attention to detail and the way his characters speak is unlike anyone in Hollywood today or ever.  The dialog is quick and strong, with perfectly placed jokes and a lot of great monologs.  Sorkin is akin to writing these kind of adult fairy tales about their main character’s struggles that ends with them overcoming their struggle, but only to an extent.  Molly’s Game is another one of those fairy tales, but because of Molly’s past, we know she will be alright.

This is Sorkin’s directorial debut as well and it is an impressive debut.  Sorkin has created an in-depth character study while also making the best poker movie since Rounders (1998).  Sorkin makes it so you aren’t confused during the poker scenes.  It isn’t about the cards or the hands, it’s about the money and people playing.

Molly’s Game is a wildly entertaining movie about perseverance and survival in situations you cannot necessarily control.  Led by a dynamite performance from Jessica Chastain and a number of great supporting turns, Aaron Sorkin’s fascinating, heart-racing, expertly written debut is one of the best movies of 2017.

Did you see Molly’s Game?  What did you think?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.