Review of Molly's Game (2017) by Bmkastelan — 05 Jan 2018

This is a breath of fresh air in the stylish pedal to the metal biopic genre that includes "The Wolf Of Wall Street" among many other films. While I enjoy the filmmaking and creative talent behind projects like "Wolf", #MollysGame just took a step above the rest of the genre for me personally. In the year of the Women's March on Washington and the #MeToo movement, this is the type of leading female character that we need so much more of.

As the character of Molly Bloom, modeled after the compelling true story, Jessica Chastain owns the film without letting it out of her grasp for the two plus hour runtime. This is Molly's movie and there's not a false misogynistic note to damper that. Not a shot or out of character line that puts us in the mindset of the men that she surrounds herself with. This is a relieving change of pace for writer/director Aaron Sorkin after writing arguably weaker female characters in the series "The Newsroom". A powerhouse of a directorial debut. With misogyny out of the way, we get to spend time with a riveting character with great depth that we grow to understand.

This is arguably the antithesis of a Hollywood sports film, and that's why I absolutely love it. Here's why: Molly is being trained by her father from a young age to be an Olympic skier. After a life altering injury, she could no longer pursue that path in her early 20's. The underdog story usually follows a predictable path from here where she would get the support from her family to become a skier again. As real life would have it, Molly defied her family's expectations and used connections to become the most notorious host of high stakes poker games. A feat that didn't come without its prices.

Idris Elba, Michael Cera, Chris O' Dowd and Kevin Costner are in top form and are joined by many other supporting players that build the world of the story to perfection. A stylish and whip smart biopic that gives Jessica Chastain the material she deserves.