An Aaron Sorkin character is always the smartest man or woman in the room. He or she can spit out 150 words in 30 seconds or less and talk their way out of any corner. At this point in his writing career (now turned directing career) you’re either on board with his style or not. But even MOLLY’S GAME seems to double down on the Sorkin-style. Leave it to him to create a world of poker – a game where players are often rather private and rarely talk during games – that is filled with incessant chatter.
MOLLY’S GAME is based on the true story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain), a former Olympic-class skier who is arrested in the middle of the night by the FBI. She turns to a reluctant criminal defense lawyer, Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba), to oversee her case. In the process, we learn how she ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game in LA and then New York which included Hollywood actors, sports stars, billionaire businessmen, and the Russian mob.
In a story about addiction, Sorkin shows his hand and reveals he’s addicted to listening to himself talk (as if we didn’t already have this inkling). Every minute of the film is packed with statistics, literary references, and moral and political talking points. So much so, that even during the quiet moments, we have Chastain delivering narration. MOLLY’S GAME marks the feature directorial debut for Sorkin. While much of the film feels like a standard take on the material, Sorkin does show some finesse when it gets down to the actual games. There are a few hands where Sorkin successfully elevates the tension, even if the high-stakes game is centered around reckless husbands betting away life savings. When the chips start piling up, Sorkin does a good job placing the viewer in the heat of the situation.
Even if you aren’t a poker fan, the film still offers two of the most beautiful people in the world facing off against the FBI. While the film has a rotating door of money-hungry characters, it’s really Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba’s show. So much of the film rests heavily on Jessica Chastain’s shoulder and yet she seems completely unphased by the challenge. She’s a natural with Sorkin’s silver tongue dialogue, but Chastain gives Bloom just the right amount of sympathy as well. Sure, she’s a tough no-nonsense businesswoman, but Chastain also makes her a caring coach. She’s the one the players turn to when they are down on their luck, in turn, she becomes not just their banker, but also the voice of reason or the shoulder they can cry on – something that wasn’t given to her in her younger days of skiing with her dad.
The scenes with Kevin Costner as her dad feel a little gratuitous. We’re supposed to understand why Molly has the strength to keep fighting and going on, but these training scenes or dinner table scenes just relay that her strength stems from outsmarting or proving her dad wrong, which seems counterproductive to the overall message of the film. Mostly though, these scenes pad out an overlong game that already spends more than enough time showing Molly’s rise to power.
For a film with not a very complex plot, we have a 140 min runtime. Sorkin’s biggest strength becomes the film’s ultimate downfall. There’s simply too much of a good thing, and I can’t help but think a more experienced director might have tightened this up quite a bit. With a plot centered around high-stakes poker, Russian mobsters, hedge funds, and an FBI investigation, we should be on the edge of our seats. While Chastain is mesmerizing, she can only do so much to make this the searing drama that Sorkin thought he had in his hand.
Overall Score: 3 out of 5
MOLLY’S GAME is now playing in theaters everywhere
