Chances are, you've never heard of Molly Bloom. Not only is her story not well-known, it revolves around the world of poker, a world lots of people don't dare enter. Regardless, Bloom is known as the "poker princess", based on the underground poker games she ran in Los Angeles and New York for roughly eight years. Before her entry into the world of poker, she was known for being on the US ski team, specializing in downhill moguls. The first scene of the 140 minute film shows Bloom attempting to qualify for the Olympics, and the rough fall that stopped her skiing career in its tracks. The reason why I choose to mention this scene is because it describes how fast the film is paced. The film moves just as fast as Bloom does in the opening scene, if not faster. And, that's one of the many reasons why Molly's Game is not only a defining moment in lead actors Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba's career, but is a defining moment in 2017 cinema overall. The main thought that occurred to me walking out of Molly's Game was that: nobody could play the role of Molly Bloom better than Jessica Chastain. She is an amazing actress, and has shown in previous films (such as Miss Sloane and Zero Dark Thirty), but this film, by far, is the best acting I've ever seen by her. Similarly, Idris Elba does an amazing job as Bloom's lawyer, and bounces back from the bad year he's been having (The Dark Tower, The Mountain Between Us). Aaron Sorkin does an amazing job as director, and proves that it's not just screenwriting that he is amazing at. He can take a 275 page book, and turn it into a 140 minute film, that is insanely entertaining from start to finish, filled with wild moments and crazy plot twists. And, for someone's directorial debut, that is truly amazing. Not once during the film did I ask myself "When is this going to end" or "is this necessary", because every scene is perfect in its own way. had my fears going into the film, though. I had read the book a month before, I was afraid that the movie adaption was going to twist the story to make the film so much worse and disappointing (Example: Me Before You). But, to my surprise, although the film does differ from the book in many ways, the story it produces is even more entertaining and flows with the overall tone of the movie. Basically, Molly's Game comes down to this. It is long, but you'll hardly notice the length of the film because it is fused with constant entertainment, terrific acting, and a great story, all sheltered by a great script and director.
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