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Dec 18, 2017 · Molly's Game starring Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba and Kevin Costner directed by Aaron Sorkin is reviewed by Alonso Duralde (TheWrap, Linoleum Knife), Ben Ma...
- 9 min
- 29.8K
- What The Flick?!
Dec 22, 2017 · Aarok Sorkin's directorial debut & the true story of an ambitious entrepreneur who built an underground poker empire. Here's my review of MOLLY'S GAME! See more videos by Jeremy here ...
- 4 min
- 174.7K
- Jeremy Jahns
MOLLY’S GAME is based on the true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of...
- 3 min
- 10.5M
- STXfilms
Powered by an intriguing story and a pair of outstanding performances from Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba, Molly's Game marks a solid debut for writer-director Aaron Sorkin. Read Critics...
- (308)
- Aaron Sorkin
- R
- Jessica Chastain
- First you get the poker, then you get the power, then you get indicted.
- Verdict
By William Bibbiani
Posted: Nov 22, 2017 12:38 am
Aaron Sorkin is one of the most instantly recognizable writers of the modern era, whether or not you have any idea what he looks like. The creator of The West Wing and The Newsroom, and the screenwriter of The Social Network and Steve Jobs, has a knack - or at least a propensity - for telling stories about fast-talking intellectuals whose brains are overflowing with observations and anecdotes, most of which are thematically important by the end of the conversation… a conversation that had at least a 40% chance of being given while the characters walked somewhere.
Sorkin’s particular writing style has a tendency to overpower even the most dynamic filmmakers. It would be difficult to confuse the films of David Fincher and Danny Boyle, and yet their films The Social Network and Steve Jobs are clearly connected, for better or worse, by a single voice. So it was always going to be interesting to see what such a distinctive writer would do in his directorial debut, and find out whether he’s as sharp behind a camera as he is with a pen.
The answer to that question lies in Molly’s Game, a biographical drama about Molly Bloom, who ran a high-stakes poker game for rich people, famous people, powerful people, and eventually dangerous criminals. It was a nebulously legal line of work in the first place and lines are eventually crossed, until ultimately Molly Bloom was indicted by the FBI and forced to explain herself, and possibly ruin the lives of her players.
Aaron Sorkin and poker are a pretty obvious match, since they both build anticipation through the use of deception and repartee. Molly’s Game is at its best when it’s wrapped up in the high-stakes poker games, the unexpected turns of fate, and the spirit of competition that drives Molly Bloom to take charge of the game and the players.
Molly’s Game doesn’t announce Aaron Sorkin as the next great filmmaker, but he’s a good one. It’s a competently filmed production with some fine performances, but it lacks the focus and showpersonship that would be necessary to make it feel like more.
- William Bibbiani
Dec 24, 2017 · Inspired by Bloom’s memoir of the same name, “Molly’s Game” bounces back and forth in time between Molly’s arrest by the FBI for running an illegal gambling operation and her efforts to persuade a New York lawyer (an excellent Idris Elba) to represent her and flashbacks to how she built her glittering empire.
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Dec 22, 2017 · Mark Kermode reviews Molly’s Game. The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who went on to become an FBI target after running the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker...
