Chock full of Sorkinian glibness, biopic goes south in the end

Rating: 6/10 (31 December 2017)

Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut about the Olympic skier Molly Bloom, a brilliant over-achiever who chose to forego law school to become a gambling entrepreneur, is a compelling film that starts out very strong. Even with its lengthy running time, it's never slow or uninvolving. It's gripping and fascinating throughout, thanks to Sorkin's master penmanship at keeping the dialogue and tempo of the film at a heady pace.
Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba both give dynamic performances here. Elba makes a great presence as the defense attorney who tries to grapple with the sheer size and scope of Bloom's considerable legal problems as her gambling operation becomes progressively more mired in the criminal world. Even if you find Chastain's character cold and detached, her performance here is strikingly realistic.
Alas, we have the film's ending. Where the film goes wrong is this highly far-fetched and phony attempt to humanize Bloom beginning with a chance encounter with her father at a skating rink in Central Park. A corny scene does not sink a film all by itself, but unfortunately this scene was followed up with an equally ridiculous courtroom sequence that struck me as unduly and comically political. It's always a shame for a film to look first-rate for most of the way only to collapse in the final act. Recommended mostly on the strength of the performances, even if the film as a whole misses the mark in the end.