“Molly’s Game” is a Great Film! – STEVE PIECZENIK TALKS

Molly’s Game: A Serious Oscar Contender!

Congrats to Aaron Sorkin, director/writer, Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba!

Out of nowhere, I picked up “Molly’s Game” which has absolutely no information as to what this gem of a film was about. As I watched it, I was mesmerized by the character of Molly Bloom, played brilliantly by Jessica Chastain. It turns out that Molly was once a champion skier who was injured on the slopes and then had to find herself a new profession.

Molly became the madam-par-excellence of forming underground poker games in both L.A. and NYC for the rich and infamous. How can a series of poker games  entertain someone like myself?  I do not like card games because I find life far more exciting and sufficiently adrenaline replete.

The film was written by the imitable, malfeasant Aaron Sorkin of West Wing Fame. He wrote an engrossing story line that revolves around Mary Bloom’s need to control men who were ‘addicted to poker’ as well as other substances. This is the same Aaron Sorkin who ripped off Tom Clancy’s “White House” but hey, no biggie.

I loved the interchange between the engaging actress Chastain and her lawyer, played exquisitely by the imposing [both physically/intellectually] Idris Elba. This Brit is a real tour-de-force of character development and drama.The story line depicts the pathetic state of prominent individuals: actors, bankers, hedge fund financiers and how these insecure men [no women are players] are in constant need to prove their own worth by literally throwing out marked pieces of paper onto a gambling table. This is how these deviants evaluate whose penis is bigger than the rest.

“Molly’s Game” is a masterful psychological study in addiction, narcissism and feminist power. This film is the first real chef d’oeuvre that shows how powerful a woman can become by manipulating men within a prescribed emotional/physical distance. In this case, encouraging them into playing incessant games of poker. This type of Molly-like-woman does not have to seduce these men neither physically or emotionally. Importantly, she certainly will never allow herself to become sexually harassed.

It also helps that many of these so-called “men” in this film were sexually abused as children [Hollywood pedophilia underground] and were at the same time, alcoholics/drug addicts.

As Molly would have stated in this film:

“I am not your wife, mother, or any nurturing feminine figure. I am simply here to facilitate your own self-destruction.”

It turns out that in real life the usually inept FBI arrests her for some series of fallacious charges which are eventually dismissed.

Kudos to the  producers of this film: Mark Gordon, Amy Pascal, and Matt Jackson. Oscar recognition should go to Aaron Sorkin for Best Adapted Screenplay from the original novel. Clearly, Jessica Chastain should be considered for “Best Female Actress” in a very hotly contested race. Idris Eba should receive the Oscar for “Best Male Supporting Actor”. He was simply outstanding!

Point of note for the producers: please advertise this film. Nowhere on the cover of my DVD did you write anything about this fascinating woman. Nor, have I seen any convincing advertisements anywhere touting this cinematic jewel.

However, I do want to commend the newly formed STX Entertainment distribution company. It was created in March 2014 by two Hedge Fund players: Robert Simons and Bill McGlashan in conjunction with Huayi Bros., a Chinese film production company. [Wikipedia].

For those of you who are interested in knowing who were some of the insipid jerks playing poker in the movie, Wikpedia revealed the following names:

Ben Affleck

Macaulay Culkin

Alex Gores

Andrew Beal

Leonardo Di Caprio

‘shmuck galore’- Tobey McGuire [“I want to destroy everyone”].

The truth about actors is that for the most part they have messed up personal lives. Acting allows them to control the essence of the faux character they are playing so that they can become someone that they can never be in real life. EX: Kevin Costner played a convincing father who was a ‘Professor of Psychology/Psychotherapy’ .

Unfortunately, Costner’s final diagnosis and psychodynamic analysis of his daughter, Molly, was completely wrong.  But who gives a shit?

“Molly’s Game” is a great movie that has to be watched a few times in order to pick up all the nuances of the rapid-fire dialogue between Chastain and Idris.

BTW, if you liked Chastain in this film, you should also see her in “Miss Sloane”… another psychological winner!

A well-known poker player, Dutch Boyd, said the following: “Poker is a lot like a sex. Everyone thinks they are the best, but most don’t have a clue what they are doing.”