Molly's Game is a classic victory of strong storytelling over overpriced but vacuous spectacles of risk-free fanfare.
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With an Oscar for the adapted screenplay of The Social Network, followed by scripts for Moneyball and Steve Jobs, Aaron Sorkin is a modern master of taking real-life stories and authoring them for the screen. But what happens when the prolific writer behind TV's The West Wing & The Newsroom hits the big screen as director for the first time?
You get Molly's Game - a classic high-stakes drama based on the true life story of Molly Bloom. Played and narrated by Jessica Chastain as the titular Bloom, a tightly woven char- acter study of a pro athlete turned poker princess unravels against the cold backdrop of the American justice system. In a non-linear manner designed to keep viewers engaged rather than as a gimmick, the story seamlessly shifts between past and present with more sophistication than a typical Dan Brown novel.
Sorkin's directorial debut builds on his strengths as a writer and introduces his deftness in managing the overall creative construction of a motion picture. He brings his trademark overlapping dialogue and pacing from script to screen without a middle man interpretation this time and it's a treat to watch. Utilizing a compelling premise and even more compelling performances from the likes of Chastain, Idris Elba, Chris O Dowd, Kevin Costner and a refreshing turn from Michael Cera (channeling Jesse Eisenberg depicting Tobey Maguire), Molly's Game is a classic victory of strong storytelling over overpriced but vacuous spectacles of risk-free fanfare.
If this is what Aaron Sorkin can do with US$30 million, I can't wait to see what he does next.
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