I can now scratch one item off my left-to see list: Molly's Game. Aaron Sorkin reworked Molly Bloom's memoir into the screenplay of his directorial debut. The end result has the same style and finesse from Sorkin's usual work.
Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) was a skier in her youth. A nasty fall on the slopes ended her skiing career and her Olympic dreams. She found work as the office assistant of the nasty Dean Keith (Jeremy Strong). Her duties include helping him organize his underground poker game. There, she meets influential people among her weekly players. When Keith unfairly fires her, she redirects her players to her own poker game. She soon finds herself very legally wealthy.
But the FBI still doesn't like it. They arrest her on the suspicion that she's working for the Russian mob. She hires Charles Jaffey (Idris Elba) as her lawyer, who takes the case even though she's broke. The FBI is willing to reimburse her if she gives up her client list. Molly and Jaffey have to persuade the Government that her business is legit.
Much of the film shuffles back and forth in time. We see Molly, as a child, trained by her stern father, Larry (Kevin Costner). We see her get involved with the poker game and its clientele, all of whom have their names changed in the story. And we see her and Jaffey prepare their case before the government. The exposition is stylish and fascinatingly detailed. We get to know Molly's mindset as she opens the film narrating about the worst things that can happen to an athlete. Her time running the poker game moved by nice and easy. The main story felt slower by comparison.
Jessica Chastain was excellent as Molly. She's determined, competitive and also honest. She goes to great lengths to ensure she's running a legal business and is willing to defend it. We can get on her side as she protects her clientele from the government. Elba as Jaffey is a great support for Molly. He proves that when he goes from temporarily defending Molly to full-time during her first hearing. Among the supporting cast, some of the best include a surprisingly against type Michael Cera as the sleazy Player X and Costner as Larry. There's also Strong as Dean Keith, who finds new ways to make the audience hate him.
Editors Alan Baumgarten, Elliot Graham and Josh Schaeffer move the film at a nice pace. Molly's opening narration is illustrated to a quick and clear montage which describes, among other things, the angle of the Great Pyramids. They emphasize the tension when Molly is confronted and robbed by a nasty mobster. The aftermath, as photographed by cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen, perfectly shows Molly at her lowest point. And without much words. Daniel Pemberton contributes another memorable soundtrack which perfectly accentuates Molly's professions.
Molly's Game is a strong directorial debut. It's a memorable story about a strong-willed woman who made her own destiny. Her cinematic victory felt sort of rushed, even at 145 minutes, but it was still rewarding. Her backstory is just as fascinating on-screen as on the page. It might come up short on Oscar night but it's still a winner.
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