“Molly’s Game”

I decided to get a jump on the Golden Globes and zipped out for a late morning showing of the just released “Molly’s Game”. I had a vague idea of the storyline, or at least I thought I did.

I settled into my seat with about ten other morning movie buffs. After endless previews the film began and I was certain that in my haste I entered the wrong theater. It opened with a ski racer maneuvering through moguls and navigating jumps for aerials. I was about to slip out and get to the right place when Jessica Chastain appeared on screen. Phew! Either I was okay or she was in a ski movie as well.

It turns out that this is a true story, based on Molly Bloom’s book of the same name. She was an Olympic caliber freestyle skier who but for an injury would have gone on to pursue glory at the Olympics.

An excellent student with a strong intellect to go along with a sharp tongue, Molly banged heads frequently with her hard driving psychology professor Dad played ably by Kevin Costner.

Molly puts off law school and leaves Colorado when skiing is no longer in her life’s plan. She settles into Los Angeles and scrapes together rent money working in clubs, along with a day job serving as an administrative assistant to a major jerk. Jeremy Strong plays her boss (Dean Keith). He gives jerks a good name. It turns out that he runs a weekly high stakes poker game and in short order he has Molly coordinating this lucrative venture. She takes to it in short order and learns the in and outs of running a game for the uber rich. The game attracts celebrities, professional athletes and businessmen who can easily come up with the “buy in” cash.

Molly eventually parts ways with “Mr. Wonderful” and starts her own game. The story jumps back and forth in time to help the viewer digest how things evolved for Molly.

Jessica Chastain is superb in this role. The dialogue is fast paced, sharp and at times funny. She delivers her lines with ease and at times it’s hard to keep up with her. Scenes featuring Chastain and her attorney, Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba) are jaw dropping. I don’t know how many takes were involved but the final product is phenomenal. I expect that we will see a lot more of Elba after this stellar performance. He is impressive.

The cast is terrific from top to bottom. Michael Cera (“Arrested Development”, “Scott Pilgrim”), Chris O’Dowd (“Get Shorty”) and other lesser known actors like Bill Camp deliver beautifully.

Writer extraordinaire, Aaron Sorkin, who brought us “The West Wing”, “The Social Network”, “A Few Good Men”, “The Newsroom” and “Moneyball” makes his directorial debut here. He gave up on acting early on to pursue writing. I am sure that he will continue to create and write, but I expect to see his name under the “Directed by” caption in many films to come.

I encourage you to get out to see this film. Make sure that your head is clear and that you are ready for a whirlwind true story. I would not be surprised to see Chastain Sorkin and Elba recognized come Oscar time.