Molly's Game (2017)

I have loved Aaron Sorkin for a long time. I first encountered his writing with The Social Network and fell in love with it watching The West Wing, The Newsroom, and Moneyball. He has a very unique style with fast, witty dialogue that says a lot in very little time; when combined with the walk-and-talk technique of The West Wing, it becomes an incredibly effective tool. I have never disliked his writing, even though it does get a little soapboxy from time to time.

When I heard Sorkin was going to sit in the director’s chair for the first time, I got incredibly excited. I didn’t know what kind of visual style to expect from him, but I did know that the same writing that I fell in love with would be back in full effect.

With Molly’s Game, Sorkin proves himself to be a competent but not (yet) adventurous director. There are parts of this film that definitely prove there is a lot of potential, but it’s not fulfilled here. Most of this I see through the film’s length: at two hours and twenty minutes, it’s long; and while it never got boring, it does occasionally feel stretched to its maximum. There’s times where the film loses me in its structure as well, as it jumps between past and present a lot and gets slightly jarring. That being said, the comedic tone does many favors for the film, and Sorkin’s writing does shine as usual. These complains are slighter than they may sound; I would definitely not mind seeing another one of Sorkin’s directorial ventures.

The thing that completely redeems any of the flaws of Molly’s Game are the performances. Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba do absolutely incredible work as Molly and her lawyer. What propels the film is their chemistry: it makes the dynamic of their relationship so much more believable. Chastain also does a good job with her voice-over narration which could have made or broken the film; her performance is probably a career best. Michael Cera also does well as Player X, one of Molly’s poker players that is a combination of several high-profile actors. Everybody has a good grip on how to deliver Sorkin’s fast-paced writing, which is not something everyone can do.

Molly’s Game is a highly competent first directorial adventure from Sorkin. His directing definitely got the best performances from his actors, and his screenplay as usual is no slouch; it’s the finer points of the edit and the style that he has yet to truly grasp. Nevertheless, it is a very good and thoroughly entertaining film and is definitely worth your time.

My recommendation: See it if you can. 

My grade: 89/100