Molly's Game Review

Up until this point, Aaron Sorkin has exclusively been a writer. Responsible for creating iconic TV shows such as The West Wing and The Newsroom, as well as recently penning the screenplays for The Social Network and Steve Jobs, Sorkin's dense, witty and rapid-fire style is successful with critics and audiences alike. However, Molly's Game marks Sorkin's first time in the director's chair. Unlike The Social Network and Steve Jobs, where Sorkin's writing was filtered through directors David Fincher and Danny Boyle respectively, this is purely his vision. Is it any good, or is it just an indulgent attempt to cram as many words into 140 minutes as possible?

There is no doubt that Molly's Game is an Aaron Sorkin film. Dialogue is the centre of attention and for good reason: it's excellent. Of course, it isn't exactly naturalistic. Every line sounds like one that you come up with an hour after a conversation and wish you'd said instead. However, what it lacks in realism it more than makes up for in entertainment. Those familiar with any of Sorkin's other works will be well acquainted with the dialogue's breakneck pace and razor-sharp nature. Sorkin's talent for guiding the audience through jargon-heavy conversation is also present and a myriad of smart setups and payoffs (particularly one involving Arthur Miller's The Crucible) allow for clever comedy and thoughtful character development. Being the seasoned professional that he is, I expected nothing less from Sorkin, but in Molly's Game, his writing is still as exhilarating as ever.

What's most interesting about Molly's Game is seeing what Aaron Sorkin's directing is like. For the most part, it's exactly like his writing: fast. The dazzling cinematography, snappy editing and blistering line delivery come together to form a supersonic cinematic experience. Of course, it's easy to see all of this as merely superficial fluff. In particular, the narrated sections that periodically interrupt the main plot to explore Molly's backstory move at such high speed it's difficult for any actual humanity to come through. However, I always interpreted these sequences as Sorkin's equivalent to an action scene. Not necessarily packed with character or plot development, but an undoubtedly entertaining increase of pace. Crucially, as well, Sorkin does know when to slow down to properly flesh out his characters. A scene near the end involving Molly and her father hits a number of powerful emotional notes and does so at a respectable pace that allows those emotions to sink in.

Another key element that ensures Molly's Game isn't just a glorified radio play are the performances. It's all too easy to deliver Sorkin's dialogue like a robot and - as much as I like Jesse Eisenberg - his performance as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network didn't entirely avoid this trap. Fortunately, Jessica Chastain never comes close to making the same mistake. Whilst still speaking as quickly as humanly possible, Chastain is always authentic and emotive. Her incredible performance truly holds Molly's Game together, conveying a protagonist that - unlike Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs - the audience can empathise with. The supporting actors also add a lot to the film. Idris Elba plays Molly's lawyer with wit and passion and Kevin Costner confidently underlines the complexity of Molly's father. Beyond the flashy filmmaking, Molly's Game may be Sorkin's most sincere film yet.

I'll admit I am a bit of a Sorkin fanboy. Everything about his style works spectacularly well for me and Molly's Game is clearly the purest distillation of it yet. If you aren't fond of his previous works, you're just going to find this film tedious at best. Maybe one day a film will reach peak Sorkin and even I will have to admit he's gone too far. Molly's Game, however, is not that film. It's a whirlwind of dexterous dialogue, dynamic directing and potent performances that never failed to keep me gripped to the screen.

8.2/10