Molly's Game Review: How to Make Strong, Female Protagonist

I have a simple philosophy when making a strong, female characters--don't. Or rather, do not create a character with the intent of being a strong, female character.  Don't be self-conscious about it, or you will simply come across as an obnoxious feminist stereotype and/or a Mary Sue. Actually make the character vulnerable and have her taking action to overcome said vulnerabilities.

This is probably easier to do when making a film about a real life person, however.  After all, all you really need to do is read her book and do a bit of additional research as well as speak with the real life person (provided s/he's still alive), and you have the makings of creating a well-rounded character based on the real life individual and her really strange escapades.

Molly's Game is about her businesses running underground poker games involving a number of wealthy clients including celebrities like Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ben Affleck among others.  In this film, these type of celebrity actors appear to have been composited into Player X, played by Michael Cera of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World fame.  However, due to some of the details concerning how Molly Bloom actually started her business, it is highly likely to have been Maguire.

Now, concerning the moral ramifications of Molly Bloom's actions, she at least had a strong code of honor and happened to be highly intelligent, competitive, and ambitious--the latter trait happening to be her downfall.  Though perhaps due to a simple slight in her judgment.  She started taking drugs--mostly prescription stuff, but also some Cocaine--in order to help her either stay awake when she is hosting games over long stretches of time, or to go asleep.  As such, she ends up allowing one of her clients to invite some Russian friends over to play her games, not at all suspecting that they might be members of the Russian Mafia.  Perhaps because her state of mind had been heavily impaired at this point.

So, she is essentially forced to close her business, and the FBI freezes her assets so that a couple years later, they could try to essentially...well, the legal equivalent of blackmail to say the least.  Not only is she to turn in her computer files on all of her clients and their dirty little secrets (even though she'd vow to keep them and their lives secret as much as possible), but to provide incriminating evidence on the Russian mafia they are convinced that she has (since they think her getting mugged by one of them was the same as having corrupt business ties with them).

Now, the researching concerning the subject of the book is somewhat fraught, and even concerning Molly Bloom's life story, the REAL reason why she was arrested is far more complicated than that--they were financial crimes that Molly was unable to pay back partially because the FBI froze her accounts, but also because of the mugging.  And the trial pretty much left her deep in depth with no way to escape.

In spite of this most of the stuff I mentioned in the last couple of paragraphs really did happen, and may have contributed somewhat to her trial.  The "present day stuff" with Idris Elba's character obviously isn't in the book, but most of it did happen.  Client confidentiality probably forced the filmmakers to sort of fill in the blanks here and there, and I somehow doubt Molly's father (played by Kevin Costner) suddenly popped up out of catch Molly Bloom by surprise in Madison Square Garden.

Otherwise, the general events that happened in the movie did indeed happen in real life, but with some composites here and there.  Which, to be fair, is fairly common when films need to streamline some of these events in order to construct a cohesive film.

Speaking of which, let's start with the more technical sides of things.  The acting all around is rather first rate.  Nothing particularly chewy when it comes to awards season, but Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, and Kevin Costner all give first rate performances in this movie.  I mostly just watched the movie because, to be quite honest, Chastain is actually quite the looker.  She's is actually quite sexy in this movie, which to be perfectly honest, is quite crucial since an underground poker club run by sexy females is actually a terrific way to help keep the men playing and gambling away their fortunes (along with closed curtains and incense).  And no, she does not have sex nor help rig games with either of the players, since she wanted to keep the games fair and legal as much as possible (she really had a strong code of honor).

The writing seemed fine.  Stagey, but fine.  Speaking of which, the film was written by Aaron Sorkin, who was also making his directorial debut.  And...it definitely looks like a directorial debut since some of the editing, cinematography, directing, and overall structure does feel a tad choppy at times.  But at least there's some semblance that he actually knows what he is doing behind the camera, as he pretty much embraces many of the same techniques often shown in Martin Scorsese's gangster epics (specifically Goodfellas).

So, all things considered, it is a fine, outstanding movie about a rather fascinating person with quite the life.  Is it a masterpiece?  No, but it does it's job outstandingly.  The movie's faults are actually quite minor and mostly involve the technical side of things.  Other than that, it kept my interest.  I was lured into the theater by the sexy Jessica Chastain, and with the curtains closed, the lights dimmed, and the room temperature set at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, I found myself unable to leave until the end.

I think that's a perfect analogy to sum up this movie.  9 out of 10.