Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Chris O'Dowd, Bill Camp
Review: The true story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain), a beautiful, young, Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba), who learned there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led people to believe.
Molly's Game is a riveting true story based on the interesting life led by Molly Bloom. This story is told wonderfully by Aaron Sorkin, who aside from his prowess as a writer, really excelled in his directorial debut. Sorkin does a great job of captivating the audience despite the lack of action, seemingly making a biopic revolving around poker incredibly interesting. Jessica Chastain is brilliant in playing a character that's flawed and defiant, while also being remarkably perseverant and ingenious. Chastain evokes a level of sympathy for Molly Bloom, making the character an anti-hero of sorts. Idris Elba is also fantastic as Bloom's lawyer, and one true ally. This film is both authentic and original, and tells Bloom's life story from skiing prodigy to "Poker Princess" through the effective use of montages, flashbacks, and narration. While the film ran long, I applaud it for skillfully telling a story that was interesting and complex, while also being void of clichés. If you're interested in a very well-crafted biopic about an incredibly complicated and fascinating woman, definitely go all in on Molly's Game!