Well-paced for the most part, but a little long, and doesn't find the heart much

Rating: Null/10 (27 August 2018)

The true story of Molly Bloom, who begins the film being arrested by armed FBI agents. From this teaser we jump back to see the path that led Molly to organize an exclusive high-stakes poker game for sports stars, Hollywood royalty, and, eventually, Russian mobsters.
Opening with a downhill skiing incident which is broken down in a snappy and slick presentation, Molly's Game is very much about the slickness and snappiness of the whole piece. This is perhaps not a surprise from Sorkin given his style, but it makes the film mostly very enjoyable as it moves well and suits the confidence of Molly and the exotic nature of her world. The narration adds to the film and it moves well for the most part. It does run a little long and towards the end I started to feel the length in a way I had not up till that point. Part of this is that it doesn't totally find the heart within the character - Chastain is very good when it comes to convincing of this young woman moving in such circles, but less good at why we should care for her. Another part of this is the way the film brings it home, because it has moments which don't ring true and seem overly convenient (the return of the father for instance).
Overall, the content and the slick way it is all delivered makes it engaging and worth watching, but it does have weaknesses, and it runs longer than it can totally stand.