Molly’s Game

— Ever since “The Tree of Life” I’ve been mesmerized by Jessica Chastain but her portrayal of Molly Bloom is a little off her game, even with Idris Elba as her attorney. Pair those two with Aaron Sorkin as scriptwriter and director and there should have been magic. What there is a so-so Sorkin script and great technique. The script’s a bit bloated and relies too much on voice-over as it jumps around in time. I liked the story itself since Molly’s an unusual heroine by today’s standards in that we don’t rally behind her because she’s famous, or rich, or has championed a cause, or because she oozes family values or falls in love with the prince. Instead, what she’s really got going for her is old-fashioned integrity. The problem is, integrity’s kind of a flat characteristic so the film doesn’t seem to build to some pivotal moment; instead it’s more of a slight incline. It doesn’t help that Sorkin’s script seems to be missing the lovely cadence we’ve come to expect form his work while it retains the elevated word count. I was a little disappointed by it, but even on a bad day, Chastain can still captivate.

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[2017. 140 min. Written and Directed by Aaron Sorkin. Starting Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, and Kevin Costner.]
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/01/mollys-game-review/549803/