Molly's Game

Score:  A

Directed by Aaron Sorkin
Starring Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner
Running time: 140 minutes
Rated R

Long Story Short:  Aaron Sorkin's new drama - which he wrote and directed - is based on the true story of a one-time world-class athlete who ended up building an enormous, underground gambling empire.  The one-two punch of Sorkin and Chastain's mastery is very impressive, but just how well they work together is what makes it all click.  Featuring not just an intricate plot but also real, powerful character work, Molly's Game deserves attention from audiences that it's been denied by the Oscars.  Highly recommended.


Molly Bloom, a former Olympic skier, is awoken one night by the FBI and is taken into custody by armed agents.  Charged with multiple felonies, Molly (Chastain) - though broke - contacts Charlie Jaffey (Elba), a high-profile lawyer.  Although Molly has written a book on her extraordinary life events, Charlie feels that he doesn't have the full story and refuses to take her case.  Desperate, Molly decides to be more forthcoming with Charlie, detailing the events that took place after a freak accident in Olympic trials ended her athletic career.  Starting from scratch as a lowly club server, Molly takes a detour from her planned path to law school when an employer brings her on as an assistant in an underground poker game.  Her competitive fire stoked, Molly becomes more active - and complicit - in the gambling.  Years later, Molly faces a different high stakes game: give up names and ruin dozens of other lives, or face the end of her own freedom.

Molly's Game benefits handsomely from its stellar cast, both the core trio as well as the supporting players.  It truly is Molly's show here, however, performed by Jessica Chastain.  Chastain is one of the very best actresses in Hollywood today, and she brings her "A" game.  Many actors would be challenged simply to act while reciting Sorkin's famously complex, rapid-fire dialogue, but not only does she make that look easy, she breathes real life into both the script and her character.  Her physical performance - she spends plenty of time in silence, too - is remarkable, and is what allows her to develop both the character's professional as well as personal life.  Chastain holds an air of natural confidence (and at times competitiveness), but is also believably vulnerable when called for.  Idris Elba is also great in an even showier role; as a testament to Chastain's acting, you find yourself almost begging Elba to help you (er, Molly).  Elba is strong yet funny, cool at times and passionate at others, and always locked in.  Costner, in a smaller role as Molly's father, is both familiar to previous roles yet somehow fresh and perfectly enmeshed with Chastain and younger versions of Molly.  While relatively brief, his role is crucial to the emotional, personal side of the story, and he delivers.  There are a number of very small roles that still are important in further enlivening the action, including Michael Cera as a devious card shark and Chris O'Dowd as a hilarious loser.

Molly's Game is an excellent drama built on Sorkin's writing and Chastain's acting genius, and the way it blends those strengths together so well (and adds other synergistic themes) is impressive.  Those familiar with The West Wing, The Social Network or other Sorkin-penned works will recognize the style of writing instantly.  His work is as strong as ever here, well-suited for a story bursting with both technical (yet intriguing) plot details as well as competitive, whip-smart characters.  Honestly, I missed a good bit of the dialogue yet its strength of plot and character arcs - complex yet never bogged down - that that didn't matter.  It'll only make repeat viewings all the richer.  While the gambling plot is fascinating (and enriched by Sorkin's telling), Molly's Game is elevated to true greatness by the human story told in the character of Molly.  The meat and greatest amount of time in the film is spent on the escalating tale of crime, it's true; but this subtly also does the heavy lifting of illustrating Molly's nature, her tendencies, her successes and failures.  The personal side is briefly but effectively introduced at the very beginning, and then slowly builds back up in the second half before finally bursting forth as the film's thesis: Molly's strength and success as a human being.  Two crackling scenes illustrate this particularly well, and even more than showing Sorkin at the height of his technical powers, they are as poignant as any drama's thanks to the performances.  Oh, and it should be noted that the film has a great sense of humor, too, perfectly calibrated to the film's tone.

***

Molly's Game is an excellent film, among the best I've seen in years.  It makes me quite upset that it's been so badly snubbed by the Academy; its only nomination is for Adapted Screenplay.  That one is well-deserved, but nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress (Chastain) should have been automatic, with Elba in strong contention for Supporting Actor and Sorkin for Director, too.  I will admit that the film is a bit long, and could have been edited down to perhaps just over two hours.  But its masterful mix of the technical and the personal can't be denied, Oscars be damned.  Come for Aaron Sorkin's brilliant script (not to mention impressive debut directing effort), and Jessica Chastain's amazing acting; come for a unique, interesting story and plenty of surprises and entertainment.  Just go see this film.



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