The Poker Princess

The rise-and-fall true story of Olympic freestyle skier-turned-poker club hostess Molly Bloom is brought to life in ‘Molly’s Game,’ acclaimed screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut featuring Jessica Chastain, hands down the finest looking redhead working in Hollywood today.  Adapted from the memoirs by the same title, ‘Molly’s Game’ provides us with a fascinating -- if not entirely scandalous -- glimpse into the world of high‑stakes underground poker for the rich, famous and spoiled (that last description is reserved for "Player X" aka Tobey Maguire as portrayed by Michael Cera in this film by the way).

 

Even as the real Molly Bloom is raven-haired and might be better played by, say, Olivia Munn resemblance-wise, Chastain’s portrayal is at once compelling and mesmerizing, imparting a depth and complexity to Molly in a performance that’s truly Oscar-worthy.  And "good golly miss molly!" was she drop-dead gorgeous in this movie, exuding a sheer come-hither sexiness that oddly reminds me of the “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way” cartoon character Jessica Rabbit from the 1988 animated/live-action film ‘Who framed Roger Rabbit?’  It’s undoubtedly part of the reason (other than her brains and business savvy of course) how Molly became so successful running the “world’s most exclusive and decadent man-cave,” as she so eloquently put it.  Idris Elba also delivered one of his better dramatic performances as Molly’s attorney after she found herself a pawn in the government’s attempt to force her to tell all and surrender the secrets of her “little black book” so-to-speak.

 

Propulsive, smart and (oh, did I also mention?) sexy, ‘Molly’s Game’ is as intoxicating as the addictive game of chance and bluff it depicts, a guilty pleasure of the highest order.  In some ways this film is similar to other real life tales as ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ ‘War Dogs’ and ‘American Made,’ proving once again that, in spite of the usual Hollywood embellishments and overblown exaggerations, screenplays mined from real life stories can be just as interesting as fictional ones.

 

Grade: A