Reasonably entertaining take on private high stakes poker world but depiction of hostess as feminist icon proves dubious

Rating: 6/10 (20 January 2018)

Noted screenwriter and TV writer Aaron Sorkin is back with his take on the short career of high-stakes poker game hostess Molly Bloom, based on her book of the same name. A good part of it violates one of screenwriting's cardinal precepts: "Show don't tell"-due to the reliance on off-screen narration. I can understand why Sorkin resorted to the voiceover however, as Molly's story doesn't always lend itself to great moments of dramatic conflict as the narrative is much more dependent on mere character description, which turns out to be (pardon the pun) one of the film's stronger suits.
Molly's back story is quite interesting and Sorkin begins the film with his young protagonist on the ski slopes, competing for a place on the Olympic team. A freak encounter with a patch of shrubbery on the slope derails the fledgling athlete's career sending her off to California where her fate is eventually sealed as high stakes poker hostess.
Sorkin flash forwards to the present time with Molly consulting with an attorney Charlie Jaffrey (Idris Elba) to see whether he'll take her case, after she's been arrested on federal racketeering and illegal gambling charges. Perhaps Sorkin liked the idea of writing a part for an African-American actor or wished to suggest that Molly was not only not racist but liked black people, but the real-life story has it that her attorney was actually an ordinary white guy.
Most of Idris's dialogue is invented out of whole cloth and the interaction between client and attorney is the least interesting aspect of the film. Sorkin attempts to inject some drama into his Jaffrey character by having him agonize over whether he should take Molly's case (her lack of funds is the issue leading to his indecision). It's his high opinion of Molly's character (reflecting Sorkin's high opinion of his protagonist) that leads the attorney to take on her case (initially) pro bono.
Later, Elba delivers an impassioned speech to the federal prosecutor arguing (rightly) that she was not directly involved with any of the gangsters who attended her poker games and was only guilty of a low level crime (taking a "rake" from each hand dealt at the poker table).
The "meat" of the film is Molly's description of the various outlandish characters that inhabit the shady world of private high-stakes poker games. Of particular interest is Jeremy Strong as Dean Keith, a real estate agent who initially hires Molly to run the poker games, constantly berating and abusing her before she quits and begins running her own games; Michael Cera as "Player X," principally based on a ruthless Tobey Maguire, who eventually has her replaced, resulting in Molly moving to New York City; Brian d'Arcy James as Brad, a hedge fund manager, who bets using funds accumulated from a Ponzi scheme and Chris O'Dowd as Douglas Downey, the man who introduces Molly to the Russian mob.
There is a sub-plot involving Kevin Costner as Molly's over-achieving psychology professor dad who is held up as the motivation for Molly's decision to get involved in the risky, illegal world of private high stakes poker (in addition to the father, both Molly's brothers are over-achievers, one an NFL player and the other, a physician). An unlikely scene of the father confronting the daughter takes place at film's end which serves as a confession of misguided filial concern.
Despite the colorful stories, Sorkin's moral integrity remains highly questionable as he has cast Molly as some sort of feminist icon, bravely taking on men in a man's world and supposedly (albeit for a short time) ending up as a triumphant pioneer. In reality, there is nothing brave or admirable about his protagonist, as Molly (using her own free will) chose to become involved in a sleazy world of illegal operators. As the film ably illustrates, she almost lost her life at the hands of a Mafia goon, who robbed and beat in her the confines of her supposedly safe, doorman attached, high rise apartment.
Following Sorkin's lead, Jessica Chastain is bent on depicting Molly not so much as a self-serving illegal businesswoman, but as that pioneer, bent on providing those sleazy (male) poker players with a dose of certified comeuppance.
Ignore Sorkin's attitudinizing and you might find Molly's Game reasonably entertaining and a decent enough "docudrama," depicting a world of fringe players who have now come to light as a result of Ms. Bloom's perceptive observations.