Molly’s Game (2017)

Molly’s Game (2017)

7/10

Starring

Jessica Chastain

Idris Elba

Kevin Costner

Directed by Aaron Sorkin

If you want to be intrigued, fascinated and moved by the actions of a real-life person of integrity, watch Molly’s Game.

Aaron Sorkin (in his directorial debut), directed and wrote an adaptation which sailed so smoothly that the drift between current events, events of two years ago and Molly’s childhood will make you view the film like you are living in Molly’s head.

We get to live through her life which started as a professional skier then sailed down the path to the lady in charge of a high-stake poker game where millions are won or lost on the table. Then the present as she struggles with no money and her back against the wall facing off with the government.

Based on the biography on Molly Bloom’s life as she organised poker games.

The movie starts with the introduction of Molly. A young lady who is being hammered by her father to be the best skier she can be.

Molly’s life is hampered by a bad spine, but her father’s behavior towards her was more defining in her character as she never gave up on being the best.

After a nasty fall while skiing competitively, Molly moved on with her life, leaving skiing behind. This involved moving out of her parent’s home and being a waitress.

She later got a job working for a man, who introduced her to a poker game he ran with some rich celebrities and business men.

When her relationship with her boss went sour, she decided to start her own game with the money she had saved and with one of the celebrities named Player-X in the movies but is notably portraying the actor Tobey Maguire (with a mix of Leonardo Di Caprio and Ben Affleck). She took some of her boss’s players and the game was a huge success until Player-X started demanding attention and wanting her to raise the stakes, which she turned down.

This ended her professional relationship with Player-X and her game.

Molly, who is not one to give up easily moved to New York and started a new game, she first struggled to hold things down because the stakes were higher, so to balance things out and make profits she allowed in more players. She took in men from the mob against her better judgement and now her house of cards grew big, and it starts to wobble, and a possible collapse is pending with here life being at stake.

Sorkin’s adaptation earned him nominations at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Writers Guild of America Awards and BAFTA. All this pat on the back will not have existed if not for Jessica Chastain.

Her performance is to die for and can arguable be her best performance yet. My view of her magnificent performance is also agreed by the Golden Globe's where she was nominated for Best Actress – Drama.

The movie did moderately well in the box-office, but it was well received by critics and audience.

I can guaranty that when you see this movie, you are bound to admire Molly’s personality and be left to ask yourself if faced with such a dilemma, would you do the same?