You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em

Rating: 8/10 (15 May 2020)

"Molly's Game" from 2017 is the true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-qualifying skiier who, after a couple of bad accidents, moves to Los Angeles and starts running underground poker games.
We see Molly (Jessica Chastain) as she works for an awful boss, Dean Keith (Jeremy Strong) for whom she runs underground game and gets tipped by the players. Eventually she starts her own game. An altercation with one of the players (Michael Cera, possibly Toby Maguire in the real story) ruins her game. She leaves Los Angeles and starts over in New York. It's from there that things go downhill.
Once the Feds target her, Molly turns to an attorney (Idris Elba) who doesn't want her case. He winds up admiring Molly's discretion, which costs her a great deal.
This is really a terrific film, carried by the wonderful Jessica Chastain. She's a strong actress who can show vulnerability, and she's impossibly beautiful. The real Molly came from a very accomplished family - her father a psychiatrist, her brother an Olympic and World Cup skiier - and Molly was on track to become a lawyer. Instead, she chooses money, cache, and glamour. As a result, she ends up living an empty and ultimately empty life.
Bloom wanted Chastain to play her, and it was an excellent choice. Chastain was able to play Bloom as the smart, beautiful, attention-getting woman she was, and still is.
Supposedly Leonardo di Caprio was also part of Molly's games. He's the character who has on earphones while playing. Sorkin used real poker players in the film.
This is a story of survival. Molly Bloom learned the hard way, you can look like you have it all and have nothing.