Sorkin remains a smart and captivating storyteller; "Molly's Game" just needs a little more vision

Rating: 7/10 (29 May 2018)

Hardly any writers for film and TV can be identified by the words on the page alone, but Aaron Sorkin remains one of if not the most distinctive voice in the business, and that gives "Molly's Game" an immediate edge. Although Sorkin makes his debut behind the camera with this adaptation of Molly Bloom's memoir about her high-stakes celebrity-filled poker game, the film comes down to structure and verbal back-and-forth - Sorkin's calling cards as a writer.
Sorkin uses narration (as though Bloom is reading from her book) to navigate us through Bloom's (Jessica Chastain) backstory as a former Olympic-class skier and the rise and fall of her poker game. Interspersed throughout are scenes from a later/"present day" timeline in which Bloom and her attorney, Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba), talk through her case and arraignment proceedings following her arrest by the FBI. The Chastain-Elba dynamic sees a lot of verbal swordplay while the narration of the storytelling scenes allows for a lot of clever and juicy setup and commentary for the scenes we're shown. This style generates a pace with a similar verve to 2015's "The Big Short."
Chastain doesn't quite have the verbal slickness of tonuge that Sorkin's writing requires of his characters, but rather than simply coming off flat, she uses that flatness to give Molly a somewhat unique sarcastic humor. The character has a cut-and-dry business-like approach, which is presumably what served her well in dealing with the rich, entitled and slimy while she was running the game.
Getting the next most screen time to Chastain is her cleavage, which is interesting in a film that's otherwise completely uninterested in sex or romance. Chastain's outfits and body seem to exist in a vacuum - on display for no clear purpose except that their purpose is obvious - Bloom's sex appeal was part of her brand, an unspoken component of her power that didn't need to be spelled out even though it's impossible to miss.
Actually receiving second billing would be Elba, who pairs with Sorkin's style very well, even though the dialogue in his scenes sometimes requires an intellectual rigor (or law degree) just to follow along. Even when Sorkin gets long-winded, however, he is pretty good about giving his scenes emotional punctuation. He digs into Bloom's psyche a lot as Jaffey tries to figure her out and presents us with a compelling, somewhat enigmatic female character.
The other "psychological" element to the film is Bloom's relationship with her father, played by Kevin Costner, a relentless figure who we are to presume is responsible for Molly's worldview and behavior. He also happens to be a psychiatrist, which makes their dynamic all the more on the nose. Costner is perfectly cast, however, and it makes Sorkin's device of using the father a lot in the story completely forgivable.
In totality, "Molly's Game" has great beats and scenes and unfolds with the drama of the best poker games, but as a work of art, it doesn't present a cohesive message, and that could well be the result of an inexperienced director. As good as Sorkin tells a story on the page and rivets us scene by scene, "Molly's Game" just needed to gel a little more. Still, it's a great start from someone who continues to justify the attention his name and projects receive.
~Steven C
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