FilmSnobReviews

Title: Molly’s Game
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner
Runtime: 2 hr 20 mins

What It Is: Former Olympic skiing hopeful Molly Bloom (Chastain) has her dreams of Olympic gold shattered within moments. Now living in mundanity waiting tables at a posh bar all of that is about to change. Molly is about to become the Princess of Poker. Running games that results in pots upwards of a million dollars per hand. As the FBI seizes all her money, and she refuses to give up her contacts. Now she needs legal advice and counsel. This counsel comes in the form of lawyer Charlie Jaffey (Elba) who might just believe in Molly’s innocence.

What We Think: I LOVE Sorkin’s writing style. Always have from The Social Network to the wonderful Steve Jobs there’s a cadence to his writing one of urgency. That urgency tends to work in the stories he tells and it certainly does here. Behind the camera, you can tell Sorkin’s taken a ton away from the directors he’s worked with particularly David Fincher. This film, however, is all Jessica Chastain. She’s fierce authentic and fantastic in her delivery here. Playing a real-life living person is hard, she makes it seem simple.

Our Grade: A-, The film is certainly an impressive debut for Sorkin behind the lens. Chastain continues to be one of the best working actresses alive. She’s fantastic. Look at stuff like The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby or A Most Violent Year to see JUST that point in action. I cannot recommend this film any more highly then I am right now! See this one as soon as possible. It’ll be out of theaters soon so maybe schedule that when you’re done reading this. Yeah definitely do that! A real treat for those that or script fiends like me.