This movie about high-end celebrity
gambling is distinguished by a sparkling script from Aaron Sorkin who also
makes his debut as a director. (Review by Patrick Compton - 8/10)
This true-to-life portrait of the rise and
fall of a “poker princess” in Los Angeles and New York features a richly wordy
script from Aaron Sorkin who first came to light with his Oscar-winning script for
The Social Network.
Sorkin has adapted Molly Bloom’s 20014
memoir in which she recounted how she shifted from being a freestyle skiing
Olympic hopeful from Colorado to a woman who ran underground poker games for
the rich and (in)famous.
The movie, which stars an impressive
Jessica Chastain as Molly, has three time frames that are cleverly combined:
the immediate past in which we follow Molly’s rise to prominence on the poker
tables; the more distant past as a potential Olympic skier, rebelling against
her dictatorial father (Kevin Costner), and the present in which Molly –
arrested and arraigned in connection with her gambling games – seeks help from
a top lawyer (Idris Elba). The various parts of this 135-minute movie are
effectively knitted together by Chastain’s twin roles as principal character
and narrator.
This is a movie that shows off Sorkin’s
talents as a scriptwriter who specialises in witty, rapid-fire dialogue as well
as extended monologues. Fans of his previous movie scripts, such as A Few Good Men and Steve Jobs, as well as TV series The West Wing, will know what to expect. On this occasion, however,
he not only writes the script but makes his directorial debut.
Chastain, who was nominated last month for
a Golden Globes best actress award for this role, has the tough task of
appearing in virtually every scene with a mountain of words to impart. She
carries off her complex character splendidly, helped by a costume designer who
goes to great lengths to expose her impressive cleavage at almost every
opportunity.
The best part of the movie focuses on
Molly’s rise to power as a poker madam who collects Hollywood celebrities,
business moguls and even some members of the Russian mob to play big-dollar
poker games in luxurious hotel suites. For the most part, the glamorous Molly
manages to stay on the right side of the law, though this is palpably not the
case with some of her clients.
Inevitably, perhaps, Molly falls foul of
mobsters, drugs and the feds which leads to her hiring a pricey lawyer. The
sparkling verbal interplay between the pair offers some of the movie’s most
enjoyable moments.
If there is a weakness, it is the scenes
towards the end where Molly’s remorseful psychologist father improbably comes
back into her life. Here, the quality of the dialogue dips sharply as her dad
tries to explain her radical life-change. For the rest, however, this is a
verbally dynamic biopic which features one of Chastain’s best performances.
Molly’s
Game opened at Gateway on January 12. – Patrick Compton
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