Molly's Game

If you knew nothing about Molly's Game going in but knew the work of Aaron Sorkin, you'd put two and two together pretty soon and realize it had his fingerprints all over it. That's mostly a good thing--nobody writes dialogue like Sorkin, he must be paid by the word--though he can edge into sanctimony. Molly's Game is mostly free of that--no President Bartlet monologues outlining the progressive viewpoint--and has some terrific acting.

Jessica Chastain, one of our best actors right now, stars as Molly Bloom. For about the first five to ten minutes of the movie, or so it seemed, she contributes voiceover on who she is, a former skiing champion who is injured badly in a fall, who endured an overbearing father (Kevin Costner), and ended up rich running poker games. Some screenwriting books will tell you not to use voiceover, but Sorkin either did not read or ignored those books.

Molly's Game is Sorkin's directorial debut, and he has the same flair for that as he does for writing. This is a very busy film, requiring some deal of attention (there is no real spot to go to the bathroom, and it's a long movie), with all sorts of graphics showing poker hands and how a skier prepares. It's sometimes dizzyingly brilliant, if not tiring.

Chastain's Molly (who is a real person) gets a job with an obnoxious realtor (Jeremy Strong) who has a weekly poker game with high rollers (one of them is only known as Player X, played by Michael Cera, who is supposed to a composite of movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck and Toby Maguire. Which one said, "I like to destroy people?" Maguire, right?). Chastain is smart, smarter than most of them, and ends up stealing the players for her own game. It's all perfectly legal, as she takes no cut of the winnings, only buy-ins and tips. But she gets arrested anyway, and hires Idris Elba as her lawyer, who accepts the case reluctantly.

Sorkin must really love depositions (The Social Network had two) as there is one here, plus a lot of other legalese. But at its heart Molly's Game is the story of a woman with daddy issues. A scene late in the film, when she and Costner have it out on a park bench, is sharply written and tremendously acted. I kind of like what Costner has done with his career--he's taking roles that befit his age (62) and are not necessarily the lead. When he pops in one (I had no idea he was in this) he's a pleasure to watch. Other aging stars could follow his example.

But this is Chastain's show. She is both regal and vulnerable, a woman in the world of rich and powerful men who is ready to break. It's a crowded field for Oscar contenders this year; it will be interesting to see if Chastain can nudge her way in.