Molly’s Game Receiving Positive Early Reviews

Molly’s Game is set to premier in select theatres on Christmas Day, and ahead of its official release the poker-themed movie has been receiving some promising early reviews. Shirley Sealy of Film Journal International, for instance, has described the movie as being “riveting, breathless, intellectually exhilarating”, while Rotten Tomatoes has given it an 83% approval rating, with critic Mike D’Angelo praising the role of Aaron Sorkin in its success.
“As a director, Sorkin mostly (and wisely) stays out of the way of his screenplay, composing shots with an eye toward how they’ll likely be shaped in the editing room, based primarily on verbal rhythms,” explained the AV Club critic.
Molly’s Game is already shaping up to be the most acclaimed poker-related film since Rounders, although the benchmark has been pretty low since the influential movie was released in 1998. Despite the sporadic attempts to draw in poker fans over the years, movies such as “Lucky You” (2007) and “Runner Runner” (2013) have invariably ended up being panned by both critics and movie goers alike.
On the other hand, Molly’s Game has the advantage of being a true life family drama about Molly Bloom, also known as the “poker princess”, who made all the headlines a few years back after the FBI launched an investigation into the illegal high stakes poker games she regularly hosted. The story attracted a considerable amount of attention at the time as her games were frequented by some of Hollywood’s most famous actors, such as Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Furthermore, the movie features an A-list cast, including the likes of Jessica Chastain, Kevin Costner, and Michael Cera, while Aaron Sorkin makes an impressive directing debut behind the camera. As well as making brief appearances in such shows as Entourage and 30 Rock, the 56 year old’s past screenplay accolades include Moneyball (2011), The Social Network (2010), and Charlie Wilson’s War (2007). Next year, Sorkin’s stage adaptation of the 1961 Pulitzer Prize winning novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” is also set to debut on Broadway.