Review of 'Molly's Game': Jessica Chastain is 'Ferocious' as the Ultimate Card Shark

 'Molly's Game' review: Jessica Chastain, the ultimate card shark, is 'Ferocious'

I don’t know a thing about poker. This is important to say upfront, because when I went to Molly's Game (the fantastic new Aaron Sorkin film about the ultimate card shark), I was anxious about keeping up with all the talk of rivers and flops. I'm confident to say it now that I've seen it. . . I was absolutely confused. And it didn’t make any difference. Sorkin is a director and writer who tells the masterful thriller-like tale of a determined woman, who went from being a freestyle skier to becoming a high-stakes Poker ringleader.

Jessica Chastain's Red Carpet Looks

If there is one thing that Sorkin has done wrong in his long and distinguished career, it's the fact that he can't write women well. While his men are articulate, brilliant leaders, not afraid to challenge authority, his neurotic women spend their time fussing about said men. If they are on the screen at any time. Think Social Network and A Few Good Men, Moneyball and TV work such The West Wing and The Newsroom. Molly's Game is the ultimate game changer. Jessica Chastain's Molly Bloom takes the initiative here. Even though FBI agents raid her apartment at night to arrest her for illegal gambling rings, she doesn't panic. Bloom, a confident, no-nonsense woman, sees men as her clients and not sex objects. She is an unlikely heroine, but she is an inspiration.

Bloom found poker by chance. Her first act was to become a freestyle skier of Olympian caliber. She had to do a downhill turn, flip in the air and land in "a frozen pool" in order to be an elite skier. These traits are very useful for her when she gets hurt and is forced to restart in Los Angeles. She works as an assistant for a crazy real-estate investor who runs a VIP, $10,000 per-head poker game at the Cobra Club (i.e. Viper Room). She organizes and collects tips. She dresses in a JCPenney frock for her first game. When she starts taking a bigger slice of the pie, she dresses up in a plain JCPenney frock. Next, she travels to NYC where she is ensnared with the mafia. She publishes Molly's Game as a memoir and the FBI eventually catches up with her.

Hollywood's Funniest Female Stars

We are sorry for the hurried plot recap. This is a nod to Sorkin's intolerant to long, linear narratives. Sorkin, like Social Network weaves Bloom's story seamlessly by zipping from past, deep, and present with relative ease. Chastain voices the narration. She and her lawyer, Idris Elba (a skeptical criminal), plot a defense that she will stand by her motives. As a teenager, she spits on her caring and demanding father (a sturdy Kevin Costner). As a poker queen, she organizes her finances in spread sheets and resists the advances of married rock stars. You will be compelled to pay close attention to every word of this unpredictable, always-fascinating timeline. Justin Miller - Professional Poker Player Review Series