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MOLLY’S GAME | FILM REVIEW
****
Dir: Aaron Sorkin.
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner
15, 2hrs 20 mins
Molly Bloom, also known as Hollywood’s “poker princess”, got involved with the world of high-stakes gambling after her dreams of becoming an Olympic skier were crushed. Her clients included high-profile Hollywood actors such as Ben Affleck and Leonardo DiCaprio and when she got in trouble with the law, she wrote a book of her memoirs to help settle her debts.
The book, and what happened after its publication, is what Molly’s Game focuses on. Adapted and directed by Aaron Sorkin (who also wrote The Social Network, which won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay), this film not only shows Molly’s journey into gambling and her striving the earn respect, but also her drug abuse and vulnerability.
We open with Molly’s ski accident the start of her demise, before jumping into her attempts to work her way into the world of poker– the story told in her book–to meetings with Charlie (Idris Elba), the lawyer representing her two years later. Over such a tumultuous period, you might expect to see character development, but, this is not the case. Molly Bloom never changes, so the audience quickly root for her throughout the film. As a character, she blows off course at times, allowing herself to be influenced and using drugs to stay awake through days of poker games, yet she always stays true to herself.
Jessica Chastain, playing the titular role, portrays this perfectly. Her quick wit and sarcasm hides her weaknesses and fears; she can be vulnerable and out of her depth at times. Chastain channels her desperation excellent, such as when she is searching for a lawyer to represent her. Elba here helps to reinforce the audience’s reception of Bloom by being genuinely concerned about her and her choices in court. Chastain and Elba’s chemistry form the foundations of the film and their scenes were easily the most enjoyable.
Chastain often tells the story in a monologue voiceover and at times this makes it hard to keep up. The script was extremely wordy and it’s easy to get lost in poker references and Sorkin-esque detail. However, many scenes were stolen by the superb supporting cast, including Michael Cera as the mysterious Player X, Chris O’Dowd as mafia-connected Douglas Downey and a wonderful, but brief, appearance from Stranger Things’ Joe Keery. Swoon.
A run-in with the Russian mob was ultimately what ended Bloom’s career; the scene depicting her being attacked in her own home was a highlight. You could hear the terror in Bloom’s voice and see how shaken up she was afterwards, not leaving her flat for ten days. Such moments help remind the audience how dangerous Bloom’s seemingly lavish career was and brought us back to reality.
Although overly-long at times and occasionally guilty of an overload of expository information to take in, Sorkin’s directorial debut is a success. With an extremely interesting story and an excellent cast, this is definitely worth a watch.
words CONNIE MATTHEWS
Molly’s Game is out now in cinemas.
