Molly's Game

Wow!

Among the flaws of Aaron Sorkin’s new film (Sorkin wrote and directed), three stand out for me: 1) A large part of the film involves gambling, which holds no interest for me whatsoever (because I have never understood its appeal); 2) Molly Bloom, the film’s protagonist and narrator, is the kind of flawed ambitious character who is unlikely to either elicit sympathy from me or create the kind of engagement with the film necessary for me to enjoy it; 3) Molly is constantly surrounded by men, some of whom feel it necessary to speak for her and/or analyze her and/or defend her. In a film that at some level is trying to celebrate the ways the female protagonist is smarter than the men around her and capable of beating them at their own game, flaw number three is a biggie.

And yet, despite these flaws, the world’s best screenwriter (IMHO) has created such a riveting intelligent masterpiece (based on a true story, namely Molly Bloom’s book of the same name) that Molly’s Game is assured a place in my top ten and I am dismayed and confused by some of the negative reviews (though they are relatively few).

Molly (played to perfection by Jessica Chastain, who should be nominated for an Oscar) wanted to be an olympic ski champion, but a freak accident kills that dream in its early stages. Next thing you know (long story short), Molly is running the most exclusive high-stakes poker games in the world, first in Los Angeles, then in New York City. We know this before we see her life story, because Molly’s Game begins with Molly’s arrest by the FBI for running an illegal gambling establishment. But by then, Molly has been out of the game for two years and had all her assets seized, leaving her next to penniless (though people still owe her a lot of money). Finding a good lawyer who will defend her isn’t easy under those conditions, which leads Molly to Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba), a lawyer who sees something in her that others don’t.

As we then turn to flashbacks of Molly’s life prior to her arrest, we see that she has a rather overbearing and demanding father (Larry, played by Kevin Costner), with whom she has a tense relationship, and a nasty first boss (Dean Keith, played by Jeremy Strong), who introduces her to the poker games. Then there are the many poker players (all men) who become part of her life, especially Player X (Michael Cera), Douglas Downey (Chris O’Dowd), Brad (Brian d’Arcy James) and Harlan (Bill Camp). While the many men in Molly’s life are not played as well as Molly, all of that actors do well, with a special nod to Elba, who is terrific.

As one expects from a film written by Sorkin, Molly’s Game is fast-paced and full of marvellous dialogue. It’s also a long film, giving Chastain an incredible number of lines, all of which she delivers effortlessly. But who knew that Sorkin would be such a good director as well, pulling off a stylish and sure-handed first effort. 

I’ve already covered the major flaws, and I can understand why women, especially, might be uncomfortable with a couple of scenes near the end. Perhaps those scenes should be enough to lower my own appreciation for Molly’s Game. But I think Sorkin treats Molly Bloom as well as anyone would (perhaps too well?), making her a compelling and powerful character and giving viewers a lot to think about.

Given the flaws mentioned above, I can’t quite understand why I found this film so engaging, but I did. Molly’s Game gets a solid ****. My mug is up.