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MOVIE REVIEW: Molly’s Game

Garth Cremona (RIP)

Jessica Chastain stars in the true life story of Molly Bloom.  Molly came from a family where her parents expected both sporting and intellectual excellence from the children.  Rather than going directly to Law School after finishing High School she went to Los Angeles to earn some cash before going on to the high pressure world of Law School.  Instead she works her way to becoming the leader of the biggest Poker games in America.  When the Government finds out that she’s taken a profit from some unsavoury gangster types they take her to court.

This film is from Aaron Sorkin, most of you know him from The Newsroom, The Social Network, and Moneyball.  For me I know him from The West Wing, probably the best drama in the last 20 years, so when I walked into Molly’s Game knowing that Sorkin was involved I knew what to expect.  You pretty much get what Sorkin is known for.  A film that can explain the complex with a lot of dialogue, and I mean, a LOT of dialogue, but yet still hold your attention for the running time.

Now the score of this film reflects how much I personally love good dialogue, great performances, and an intelligent script.  If you like films with snappy sharp interchanges then this might not be for you.  The film takes its sweet time to show you the character of Molly, the headstrong and defiant young woman, who works in an industry, gambling, which is notoriously unforgiving, and yet is the understanding to the losses of those who are taking the hits.  Her transformation from the assistant to the leader of a poker game starts to happen you know that it’s only a matter of time before a fall.  The film doesn’t rush itself and has the confidence to take time to build every main character.

Chastain is fantastic again, but there are too many similarities from this character, with that character from a film earlier this year called Miss Sloane.  That’s the worst thing about this film for me, and it bugs me, and I don’t have little bug bears I have major psychotic hatreds.  Thankfully looking ahead at her upcoming slate of films there are more vastly different roles in the future.  For the first time in a long time Idris Elba shows that talent that we remember to play her reluctant lawyer.  The banter and chemistry between these two won me over in an instant.  Although there is no romantic inclination between them there is more chemistry than he had in the Romantic Film with Kate Winslet The Mountain Between Us.  That was a terrible film.  This is something better, far better, mountainous-ly better.

Playing Chastain’s Dad here, and he seems to be doing a lot of these Dad roles around Hollywood, is Kevin Costner.  I was a little annoyed at first because for the majority of the film he’s just a filler character, stubborn and smart, but not enough that his talent can do.  Then there is a scene near the end of the film that justifies his stardom being offered in the film.

The film goes to great lengths to make sure you are being educated about the world that Molly lives in, that you understand the world of poker, that I’m not familiar with at all, but with Sorkin’s hand on the wheel I felt that I knew a little more.  The dialogue can make you feel a little bogged down through the film, but that’s my bag baby, and I loved it.  I understand that some of you guys out there may not like this much talking and prefer a snappier script that talks down to you.  The truth is that this script is so smartly played that you feel on the same level as those who understand everything.  This is captivating and brilliant storytelling.  I can’t wait to see it again.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Director: Aaron Sorkin
Writers: Molly Bloom (book), Aaron Sorkin (screenplay)
Stars: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner & More… See full cast & crew

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Garth Cremona (RIP)
Comic book creator and movie reviewer. You can find out more at www.dublinwriter.com
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