Too verbose for it's own good

Rating: 6/10 (25 March 2020)

It's an okay movie. It is by far not a masterpiece but it is enjoyable and depicts the world of underground high-life poker games. It feels like a mash-up between Hustlers (2019) and Rounder (1998). But it is not dumb and superficial like the former and does not really have the charm and wit of the latter. So the movie does not really bother you, but at the same there is nothing special or unique in it, a part from the "unbelievable" story.
The movie has two parallel timelines: in one timeline, we follow Molly's life as if we are reading the biography. It is kinda flat and boring. Molly comes off as pretentious and unlikeable. I guess that was on purpose, because the real movie happens in the second "present" timeline where Molly is on trial and Idris Elba tries to keep her out of jail.
That split is somewhat interesting. The problem is that the movie does not really do anything with it. The clever way to tell this story through the book through the trial does not really lead anywhere.
Because Molly's story itself is told in a very descriptive and straightforward way: she goes somewhere, she meets someone, and she does something. The characters are fine but there is nobody to root for really. There are no twists and turns. There are no reveals. There is not a scene where Molly breaks a sink on top of the prosecutors head, they learn that their mommies have the same name and decide to fight the mob together.
There are no obstacles to overcome or unforeseen difficulties. And on top of all of it happens through know-it-all Molly. (The film kinda wants to show that she was not at the beginning of the movie but that is who she becomes because of her experiences but it is never really addressed)
It is only very late in the movie where Kevin Costner character comes in and gives the movie a bit of soul. I actually liked that scene very much. But the more I think about it the more I realise it's fake. The scene is very short and also very blunt. They sit on a bench and Kevin Costner tells us what the characters' feelings are towards each other. It is not by any means actually smart. But because it answers a lot of, until then unspoken, questions it feels good. Kevin Costner come in 2 hours into the movie and announces that Molly has daddy issues. Yes thank you finally someone says something smart!
I would actually appreciate a movie that challenges our perception and that dare present a protagonist that is flawed, unlikeable, or lacking self-awareness. But if you do there must something else. Like in The wolf of Wall Street, or even Rounders. The characters are flawed, but they have charm, they are interesting. We want to spend time with them, we want to know them, what they are doing, what they are scheming.
In Molly's Game, we despise Molly. And we stick with her, not unlike the characters in the movie, only because she promises to take us to these exclusive extravagant confidential Hollywood/elite parties. But then we get there, and it's rather lame. There is Michael Cera, who is not even playing himself and some drunk Irish guys. It is underwhelming.
There is a bit of talk about finance and the impact of the 2008 financial crisis, which is why it made me think of Hustlers. If you are looking of a movie about that and interested in that era, then yes this is a better movie, but that is not saying much, but it only superficially touches on the subject.
I would not really recommend this movie, unless you are fascinated by the lives of the rich and powerful, in which case this movie is fairly accurate: they pay a lady 10 000$ to have snacks in a hotel room.
I have added one point to my rating because Jessica Chastain's cleavage has more screen time than she does.