Aaron Sorkin brings all his signature flourishes as a writer —
the rapid-fire, walk-and-talk banter, the moralistic protagonists, and impassioned
speeches — to his directorial debut, the tremendously entertaining, true-life
poker drama “Molly’s Game.”
Jessica
Chastain stars as Molly Bloom, a one-time Olympic-hopeful skier who, after an
injury brought her career to an unexpected end, reinvented herself as the
runner of one of the world’s most exclusive high-stakes underground poker
games. Putting her law school plans on hold, she found herself riding high as
the game attracted rich and powerful players from the worlds of show business,
finance, and politics. She earned a fortune and had quite a life until her
games also gained the attention of a few unsavory individuals, which led to
drugs, the involvement of the Russian mob, and ultimately caused Molly to
become the target of a massive FBI investigation.
It’s an
instantly absorbing story, well-told by Sorkin. With a crackling energy, the
narrative jumps back and forth between scenes that allow us to see exactly how Molly’s
high-stakes gambling empire was born, and those following her arrest, as she
works to convince lawyer Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba)
to take on her case. Jaffey’s baffled and frustrated
by her refusal to give up any of her clients in exchange for a reduced
sentence, but as the two become a team, he comes to admire the idealistic center
that motivates her actions.
Chastain and
Elba are supremely charismatic performers, and they’re both terrific — it’s a
ton of fun watching them deliver Sorkin’s rat-a-tat banter. Happily, the film
side-steps his tradition of problematic female characters: Molly is a force of
nature, and Chastain’s cool intelligence makes a perfect fit for Sorkin’s
hyper-verbal world.
While
Chastain and Elba are the stars of the show, the film also finds time for a
plethora of fun supporting turns from performers like Michael Cera, playing a malicious high-profile actor known as
“Player X” (supposedly a stand-in for Tobey Maguire), Brian d’Arcy James, and
Chris O’Dowd, who’s a scene-stealer as a sympathetic sad-sack who might be more
trouble than he’s worth.
Sorkin acquits
himself well as a first-time director. The film has a competent (if somewhat
unremarkable) visual sense; it’s not surprising that most of the film’s
stylistic flourishes are reserved for the words. It gains a fast-paced energy
thanks to the zippy editing, which cuts to the rhythm of the dialogue and
weaves in footage of whatever subject the characters are discussing, in a style
that calls to mind Adam McKay’s approach to “The Big Short.”
Without a
David Fincher or a Danny Boyle to rein in his usual impulses, Sorkin goes for
broke on the heightened, stylized dialogue. It feels quintessentially Sorkin — both
for better and occasionally for worse — but for the most part it all works.
That is, all the way up until the film’s nearly derailed by its misguided emotional
climax. At that point we get a cringe-worthy scene in which Molly’s demanding
psychologist father (Kevin Costner) shows up for a heartfelt reunion and
proceeds to psychoanalyze his daughter, explaining to Molly that her lifelong
drive to succeed at any cost can be traced back to daddy issues.
It feels
like Sorkin can’t help but shoehorn in a scene where a man has to explain
things to a woman — even her own behavior. But up until that moment, the film
is a riveting, wildly exciting ride, and it’s undeniably satisfying to see
Chastain’s no-nonsense character put the powerful men around her in their
places.
If you’re
not a fan of Sorkin’s work, “Molly’s Game” isn’t likely to do much to change
your tune. But on the other hand, if you get a kick out of his unique brand of
storytelling, you’re likely to be all in.
This article appears in Jan 3-9, 2018.
