Aaron Sorkin’s debut as a director brought him an Oscar nomination for Adapted Screenplay, but not the Oscar itself. Why is that so?
Well maybe because he is truly a great writer. Period. Not the greatest director, though. The man perfectly knows how to write his stories, and Molly’s Game confirms this fact. The movie tells the story A through Z, but essentially, this is where the problem appears. A movie is about the visual – not so much the narration. And this is what Sorkin forgets with this movie, obviously. His amazing story is all that the movie gives, and that bothers. You could quite easily go to the other room and listen to the movie instead of watching it and you won’t miss a thing. The element of surprise moves or settings is close to none.
But, the movie made it to the Oscars, so it is definitely not one to be underestimated. Maybe this is thanks to the gorgeous Jessica Chastain, and obviously the incredible Idris Elba. The plotline is about the fiery, cold-bloodedly ambitious Molly Bloom who takes advantage of the weakness of others in order to get where she wants. She uses her sizzling charm and intelligence to move anyone out of her way to success. Her fierce character is her weapon.
She is a former skier that competed at the Olympics, and got into the whole casino games business by accident, through her employer. As she enters that world, she realizes that the only way to make it in it is to rebrand herself into someone who will be irresistible for those bully, spoiled rich man.
Challenge accepted. She completely changes her looks and becomes this luxurious bomb. With her pretty face and hair, her stamina and her intelligence, she becomes this completely untouchable woman that everyone desires. Now, this is when she uses her powerful weapons in the man’s world.
She learns how to manage the high-stakes poker games and men around the table, and Sorkin portrays flashbacks of her life from where it started to where she is now. This is also probably one of the best aspects of Sorkin’s directing skills, as the suspense of waiting for more details is absolutely astonishing. In these flashbacks, you can see her running the most exciting poker games in LA and NYC. This part, when you see what happens on those poker tables, makes you want to stay far away from it and play a more sophisticated table game, like blackjack. In fact, after watching this movie, learning from https://www.blackjack.org/seemed a really good idea – you know the stakes are high, but you also know that normal people will sit next to you on the table.
And finally, the part you’ve been waiting for: Idris Elba. During that time, Molly gets involved in an FBI investigation and becomes close with her lawyer, Charlie Jaffey. This is where you’ll feel fireworks in your stomach, as these two, Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba are absolutely savage!