Interesting Story, Great Actors and Sparkling Sorkin Dialogue

Rating: 8/10 (11 January 2018)

Molly's Game has the window dressing and the star power to bring you in but what I found most alluring was the story. How did this woman navigate her way to this post? Why did she go to jail for it? How did she figure out a way to dodge the larger legal complications? The trailer sets up all those questions. I think the movie capable answers each of them. I found the plot to be engaging but I was waiting for the big bombshell to drop and other than 1 violent confrontation, I didn't feel like I got that. I was expecting one of those divine inspiration moments for either Molly or Charlie that would give them the ability to win the case but that never came. I credit the movie for subverting those expectations, but it disappointed me a little.
Although this is a character piece, a large amount of the movie is spent around a poker table. I enjoy poker and I appreciated that the movie showed different angles on the game. How important the psychological aspect of both the game and gambling addiction are focal points that were solid choices. They also talked about different styles of play (aggressive vs. non-aggressive, skilled vs. unskilled) and how difficult it is to keep track of high stakes games like that (Molly's continual problems with collateral and managing debt were intriguing). I liked most of the scenes that were centred on the game and they were appropriately intense.
Other than the actors, the other biggest star in the movie is Sorkin's dialogue. It's also his directorial debut but he does a solid job at directing and an excellent job in screenwriting. He just has a way of making every sentence sound like someone has a beautiful mind with a soul of a poet. That last comment sounds cheesy, but I never walk away from a movie where he worked on the script without feeling the need to trumpet that the guy has a gift. Molly's Game is another one of those projects that he delivers and has those same strengths.
I saw this with a friend and we were talking about Chastain's performance as Molly Bloom. The conclusion we came to was that she was great in the lead role but you expect that from her. It would honestly be weirder if she wasn't and I can see why she's garnering so much praise for this. I echo that and the same sentiment for Idris Elba as Charlie Jaffey. His accent is a little off but when he and Chastain are together is when the movie shines its brightest. They both throw themselves in completely and especially at the end, they have a great rapport. The movie centres around them so much that the rest of the cast capably performs around them, but they are relegated to the background. Michael Cera has a nice slimy role as Player X, he was fun to watch. I also liked Bill Camp in his small bit as Harlan. Kevin Costner is a good actor, but he was undercut by his role as Larry Bloom. He's a stereotypical too serious father until the ending twist (which I'll touch more on later).
The biggest criticism I have for this movie doesn't come till the movie has almost wrapped up. Molly's relationship with her father is difficult and they are shown through flashback fighting with each other constantly. But at the end, her relationship with her father is almost magically reconciled in a way that I didn't find very believable. It minimizes her struggles to gain ground in this seedy world of egotistical people down to having "daddy issues." Now that may be Molly's story, but the movie also didn't have to make it seem so abrupt and I thought it undercuts the gravity of her situation. Plus, her dad being a decent human being for a few minutes doesn't makeup for him being a complete jerk for most of her life.
I was really stoked to see this movie, I looked at it as a wrap up for the 2017 theatre going schedule and it had a lot of elements that interest me. This movie is never bad, and it rarely misses but I still thought it was a tad underwhelming. It was good, but I thought it could have been even better. But on the other hand, Chastain and Elba could and should be considered for awards season, Sorkin's script is a polished gem, and you can't deny wanting to see how Molly gets out of this pickle. Check this out at the local Cineplex but you don't need to sprint to the theatre to see it.