The Game of Poker
As we all know, poker is a game based on skill rather than chance. The very mood of an evening relies solely on the turn of a card, which is a lot to depend on. Whether you play poker online or in person, there is a demand for poker in real life, so there are a lot of movies based on the game.
Molly’s Game, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, is a movie that focuses on the game’s players rather than the game itself. By not focusing on the cards, numbers, and ploys, the movie does an excellent job of capturing the impossible tension that happens when encapsulated in a game of poker. Read on for a full review of this must-see movie for poker lovers.
What We Thought
Jessica Chastain plays the character of Molly Bloom. Aged 20, she entered the Winter Olympic trials to represent team USA. Unfortunately, things don’t go to plan as Bloom becomes injured, devastated, and unable to compete, she ends up in Los Angeles. She lands a job being the personal assistant of a local Hollywood sleaze-ball, and through this has to organize his weekly celebrity card game. Slowly, she transforms herself into a poker hostess: untouchable and incredibly powerful. Not a gambler herself, she doesn’t take part in the game at all but instead can live a luxurious lifestyle thanks to the immense tips she receives from large clients. She can treat herself to things every woman dreams of, strutting around the city in Louboutin’s. Yet, with great power comes great responsibility and the fate of Molly hints at saddening undertones.
At this point, the movie then flashes forward to older Molly. In this scene, the audience sees that she has been arrested. Desperate, she seeks help in Idris Elba’s character, a reluctant lawyer by the name of Charlie Jaffey. With a government campaign in place to land her in prison, Bloom must convince Jaffey to win her case. The roles have reversed, and now Molly must show her real-life cards in order to make sure she is released. Her safety is at risk, will she rat out those involved, or remain silent and spend her life behind bars?
In his previous writing of The Social Network and The West Wing, Sorkin has been criticized for his writing of female characters. However, Chastain does this character extreme justice, portraying a determined characterization to Bloom, adding nuance to a woman that the tabloid press rated as nothing more than a typical LA party-girl.
What some viewers might not realize is that this film is based on a true story. Sorkin doesn’t try very hard to conceal some of this. The real-life Molly ran poker games in her time at The Viper Room in Los Angeles with a starting $10,000 buy-in. In Sorkin’s version, Molly operates at Cobra Lounge, surrounding the edge of Sunset Strip. Michael Cera’s character, Player X, a cut-throat and manipulative movie star is thought to be based on Toby Maguire.
Each detail of the poker games shown in the movie – from the music playing during the game, where each player is seated, what kind of food they eat during the game – is all revealed to the audience through Molly’s eyes, as we see montages before us of the card game in action. Molly quickly learns the tricks of the trade, picking up slicks of sophistication along the way and in a lot of ways, is the ‘Trojan horse’ of high society.
Arguably the movie’s biggest challenge is the sheer context of it. Set during a post-Weinstein era, the general morale of the film feels off. Molly’s great defiance, in a lot of ways, feels worthy of more praise now. If we track the overall behavior of men in the film, it is a lot more concerning than we originally thought.
One issue that audiences will have with the conclusion of this movie is that although Sorkin condemns a world in which women like Molly are categorically mistreated by men of power, he doesn’t offer any resolution or solution as to how to stop it. For this reason, it makes the story seem like it’s holding back from stepping up to the plate and taking risks. It is well told but feels small.
