I have always wish people would speak like they did in the movies. Sure, that is an unrealistic wish, but just think of how much cooler the world would be like if everyone talked like David Mamet or Aaron Sorkin wrote their words for them. Would we be going around quoting the things our friends say like you do your favorite movie now? For me there are not better writers of dialogue than the two men I mentioned above and with “Molly’s Game” we get to enjoy being in the Aaron Sorkin world once again.
Molly (Jessica Chastain) is not the creation of Sorkin, instead she is a real person, and her story is the kind films are made for. You see Molly was a competitive skier early in her life and with the help of her father Larry (Kevin Costner) she became one of the best in the United States. Things though do not work out for her in that world as a fall sends her to follow a different life path. That direction takes her to Los Angeles where she is forced to take a job to make money as she puts off her future plans. It is with this job that leads her to the world of poker as her new boss, host high end poker games that feature the who’s who of the rich and famous. It doesn’t take long for Molly to find out she has a knack for it and soon is hosting some of the biggest games in L. A. and later New York. While she eventually gives that all up, the Government comes after her and it takes the help of a lawyer named Charlie Jeffey (Idris Elba) to help her avoid some of the things she has coming to her.
There are very few movies about the world of competitive poker, but making one that Aaron Sorkin is behind guarantees it will go down as one of the better ones. This though isn’t just a good film about poker, this is just a good film period. Chastain utters the fast-paced Sorkin’s words as fast as the story can move, but someone how never leaves you behind. The bar is set high from the beginning with one of my favorite and I think best openings of a movie you will see this year. The good thing is that there is not much drop off from that beginning as the combination of Chastain, Elba, and Sorkin is about as perfect as you can get. This film is so damn entertaining it actually made me care for a game I could care less about, that is how good it is. Sorkin who last talked Steve Jobs is for me about the closest thing to a sure thing you get when it comes to movies. With “Molly’s Game” he does not disappoint and if you weren’t a fan before, you can be sure after watching this, you will be.
