---
title: "Molly's Game"
year: 2017
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/mollys-game"
fi1m_id: "mollys-game"
imdb_id: "tt4209788"
tmdb_id: 396371
wikidata_id: "Q27888445"
fi1m_score: 70
critics_score: 66
critics_reviews: 29
published: "2026-10-03T00:13:51.572708+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-03T00:14:17.529115+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Molly's Game (2017)

Directed by Aaron Sorkin · 2h 21m · MPA R · Drama, Crime

## Identity

Molly's Game

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/mollys-game
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** mollys-game
- **IMDb ID:** tt4209788
- **TMDB ID:** 396371
- **Wikidata ID:** Q27888445
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4209788/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/396371, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q27888445

**Fi1m score: 70** · Critics 66 from 29 reviews

*In a sentence:* Jessica Chastain explains poker faster than anyone at the table could play it, and we kept up gladly

> Aaron Sorkin’s first film as director gives Jessica Chastain more words per minute than any actress has had in years, and she earns them. The poker is tense, the talk never stops, and a late scene with her father nearly undoes the lot.

## Synopsis

Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) is a competitive skier, pushed hard by her father Larry (Kevin Costner), until a qualifying run ends in a crash on the course. She moves to Los Angeles to take a year off before law school and finds herself working for Dean Keith (Jeremy Strong), a property developer who runs a weekly high-stakes poker game in the back room of a bar. Her job is to buy the snacks, set out the chips and collect the tips. She learns the game and the players, among them a film star known only as Player X (Michael Cera), and starts to see how the money moves. Years later the FBI arrests her at her New York flat, and she must persuade Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba), a lawyer who does not want her, to take the case.

## Review

Aaron Sorkin has spent his career handing scripts to other directors; this time he keeps one. It is the life of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain): a skier whose Olympic hopes end on a frozen twig, who runs a poker game for film stars and finance men in Los Angeles and then New York, before the FBI comes to the door. Nearly every one of its 141 minutes has someone talking. We enjoyed most of it, we were tired by the end, and one scene near the close nearly made us cross. It is a good evening, if you can take the pace.

The talking is the point, and Chastain is why it works. Molly narrates almost without pause, and Sorkin gives her the clause-stacked speeches that used to belong to his senators. Chastain takes them at a sprint and never seems out of breath. She plays Molly as someone who learned early that the quickest brain at the table gets to run it, and who is quietly amused at how readily the men hand it over. The first forty minutes, in which Molly becomes assistant to Dean Keith (Jeremy Strong) and discovers the real job is laying out the chips for his game, are as sharp as anything Sorkin has written.

Charlotte Bruus Christensen shoots the game in low gold light, the faces lit by the lamps over the table, so a fortune can vanish in a room that looks like an expensive den. The lawyer’s office is cooler and flatter, glass and daylight and grey carpet. David Wasco builds the first game in the back room of a bar and the later ones in hotel suites that grow as the stakes do; Susan Lyall’s dresses get lower and tighter in the same proportion. Daniel Pemberton’s score is drums and plucked bass under the narration, pushing the words along. Three editors, Josh Schaeffer, Elliot Graham and Alan Baumgarten, cut the poker with inserts of cards and odds on screen, so that we followed a game we do not play.

Idris Elba is Charlie Jaffey, Molly’s lawyer, and his scenes with Chastain are the only ones in which Molly has to listen rather than explain. Sorkin writes their rows as proper rows, each of them right about something. Michael Cera plays Player X, a star who likes winning less than watching other people lose, and his blank pleasantness has rarely been put to better use. Bill Camp, as Harlan Eustice, a careful player who has one bad night, gives the film its best twenty minutes. We watched a decent man take himself apart hand by hand, and it was hard to look at and impossible to stop, because Camp plays every bad call as a decision he knows is wrong while he makes it.

The trouble is that Molly never stops explaining, and after an hour we wanted her to. The narration tells us what a scene means before it has started, and the actors are left illustrating. Sorkin also cannot resist having other people tell Molly who she is. Late on, Kevin Costner, as her father Larry, turns up for a conversation we will not describe except to say that it explains her whole life in about three minutes and asks us to take that as a resolution. Costner plays it well. We did not believe a word of it, and we were annoyed that a film this clever thought we would.

Sorkin’s best scripts were directed by people who knew when to cut him off. [*The Social Network*](https://film.one/film/the-social-network) (2010) is tight because David Fincher made it so. Directing himself, Sorkin keeps everything, and the film is a quarter of an hour longer than it needs to be. As a first film it is clean and confident, with no visual idea of its own that the words did not get to first.

It carries a 15. Watch it with someone who enjoys being talked at by clever people. If you have come for a story about a woman who beat the men at their own table, you will find a fine performance in a film that keeps letting men speak for her.

*Fi1m score 70, published 3 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like Molly’s Game, and nearly all of them like Jessica Chastain. Her performance is the one thing the reviews agree on, called commanding and nuanced even by critics who think little of the film around her. Her scenes with Idris Elba draw the next most praise, and several reviews enjoy the speed of Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue and the brisk early stretch that teaches the audience the poker.

The reservations cluster on the writing. Many critics find the narration relentless and the film overlong, and several say the second half softens into explanation and sermon, with a late scene between Molly and her father singled out more than once. The spread is wide, from warm raves to outright dismissals. The Guardian and Little White Lies break from the pack on Chastain herself, finding her delivery flat and stilted, while the Evening Standard rejects the film’s reputation as a feminist fable.

## Straight answers

**Is Molly's Game worth watching?**

*Molly's Game* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys being talked at by clever people for two and a quarter hours, and we scored it 70. Jessica Chastain carries Aaron Sorkin's torrent of dialogue without seeming out of breath, and the poker is tense even for those who do not play. The narration explains too much, and a late scene with her father asks more belief than it earns.

**How long is Molly's Game, and what is it rated?**

*Molly's Game* runs 2h 21m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and crime film.

**Where can I watch Molly's Game in the US?**

*Molly's Game* is streaming on Paramount+, Hulu, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Molly's Game, and is it suitable for children?**

*Molly's Game* is a 15 in the UK and R in the US, and the certificate reflects adult subject matter rather than violence or horror. It is a film of talk, money and poker, with nothing frightening in it, and the one scene we found hard to watch is a man losing at cards, not a fight. It is not for children, who would find it long and dull; older teenagers who like fast dialogue will manage.

**How does Molly's Game compare to The Social Network?**

*Molly's Game* and [*The Social Network*](https://film.one/film/the-social-network) are both built on Aaron Sorkin's dialogue, and the earlier film is the tighter and better of the two. David Fincher cut Sorkin off when he needed cutting, where Sorkin, directing himself, keeps everything and runs a quarter of an hour long. Choose *Molly's Game* for Jessica Chastain's performance; choose *The Social Network* for the sharper, more gripping film.

**What should I watch after Molly's Game?**

After *Molly's Game*, try [*The Social Network*](https://film.one/film/the-social-network) (2010, Fi1m 91): Sorkin’s words with a director who knows exactly when to stop them. Then [*Bob le flambeur*](https://film.one/film/bob-le-flambeur) (1956, Fi1m 76): Melville’s ageing Montmartre gambler plans one last job; cool, quick and sad; and [*Uncut Gems*](https://film.one/film/uncut-gems) (2019, Fi1m 85): What it feels like to need the bet; two hours of borrowed money and panic.

### Reviews we read (29)

- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (90/100, inferred): Chang calls the film an energetic, dazzling biopic and praises Jessica Chastain’s nuanced portrayal of Molly Bloom. He also singles out the rapid-fire storytelling and narrative drive, while noting that the movie can feel overlong and overexplained. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mollys-game-review-20171222-story.html)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Brian Tallerico (3.5/4): The review is broadly positive about Sorkin’s film. It singles out Jessica Chastain’s performance as a particular strength. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mollys-game-2017)
- **Radio Times**, Terry Staunton (85/100, inferred): The review presents the film as enthralling and Chastain as its defining presence. It singles out her performance as the high-stakes poker queen for praise. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/mollys-game-review-once-all-the-chips-have-been-counted-this-is-chastains-movie/)
- **Time Out**, Tomris Laffly (4/5): The review praises the film as a smart, compelling showcase for Aaron Sorkin and Jessica Chastain. It singles out their combined talents and the story’s larger-than-life energy. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/mollys-game-1)
- **Total Film**, Matt Glasby (4/5): The critic calls the film a polished, compelling success and predicts awards recognition for Sorkin. Chastain and Elba’s performances stand out, though some musical cues and the father-daughter reconciliation feel overly familiar. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/mollys-game-review/)
- **The AV Club**, Mike D'Angelo (B): D’Angelo finds the film entertaining overall, though its strengths and weaknesses reflect Sorkin’s familiar style. He praises Jessica Chastain’s delivery of Sorkin’s rapid-fire dialogue, while faulting a scene in which Molly’s father suddenly psychoanalyzes her. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-good-and-the-bad-of-aaron-sorkin-are-on-full-displa-1821329053)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (75/100, inferred): Debruge finds the film splashy and entertaining, though its stakes sometimes feel low. He especially praises Jessica Chastain’s forceful performance and the compelling female role Sorkin created for her. [Read](https://variety.com/2017/film/festivals/mollys-game-review-jessica-chastain-1202552430/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (70/100, inferred): McCarthy finds the film entertaining and skillfully told, though its relentless narration can overwhelm and Molly feels emotionally incomplete. He particularly praises Jessica Chastain’s forceful performance and the film’s energetic momentum. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/mollys-game-review-1037071/)
- **Vulture**, David Edelstein (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film an engaging showcase for Sorkin’s fast-paced dialogue, despite its over-narration and tightly controlled responses. He especially praises Jessica Chastain’s performance and the chemistry in her scenes with Idris Elba. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2017/12/mollys-game-review-jessica-chastain-aaron-sorkin.html)
- **Screen Daily**, Wendy Ide (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a Toronto review of *Molly's Game*, but the review text is behind a registration prompt. Its verdict and any specific praise or criticism are unavailable. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/mollys-game-toronto-review/5122181.article)
- **Empire**, Helen O'Hara (60/100, inferred): O’Hara finds the film engaging but ultimately too small and familiar to become a great movie. She praises Jessica Chastain’s nuanced performance, while faulting the film’s murky moral perspective and reluctance to take risks. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/molly-game-review/)
- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte Osullivan (2/5): The critic finds the film outrageously self-righteous and rejects its reputation as a feminist fable. She praises Jessica Chastain’s performance but faults the screenplay for softening the celebrity bullies and flattening Molly’s story. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/going-out/mollys-game-review-jessica-chastains-ace-but-this-is-no-feminist-fable-a3724801.html)
- **Little White Lies**, Manuela Lazic (3/2/2): Lazic finds the film entertaining at first but ultimately silly and unsatisfying. She praises Kevin Costner’s lively performance while criticizing Chastain’s stilted acting and Sorkin’s overblown direction. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/mollys-game)
- **Slant Magazine**, Jake Cole (1.5/4): The review finds the film’s social vision stagnant and its themes heavy-handed. It praises Jessica Chastain’s performance and the brisk, assured exposition in the early scenes. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/mollys-game/)
- **The New Yorker** (25/100, inferred): The critic finds the film lifeless and overpowered by Sorkin’s writing. They fault its superficial treatment of Molly’s intelligence and relationships. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/mollys-game)
- **The Guardian**, Benjamin Lee (20/100, inferred): Lee finds the film long, rambling and ultimately disappointing. He particularly criticizes Chastain’s flat delivery and the screenplay’s overloaded exposition. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/09/mollys-game-review-toronto-film-festival-tiff)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (90/100, inferred): Hammond calls the film one of Sorkin’s greatest and praises his assured directorial debut. He singles out Jessica Chastain’s commanding performance, along with strong work from Idris Elba and Kevin Costner. [Read](https://deadline.com/2017/12/mollys-game-review-jessica-chastain-aaron-sorkin-idris-elba-kevin-costner-1202227995/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (4.5/5): The critic calls the film a near pitch-perfect directorial debut, though Sorkin’s preachiness creeps in late. Jessica Chastain’s commanding performance and quick wit are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/molly-s-game-review/)
- **Digital Spy**, Rosie Fletcher (90/100, inferred): Fletcher finds the film hugely entertaining, emotional and assured, praising its feminist perspective and lively storytelling. She especially singles out Jessica Chastain’s powerful, nuanced performance as Molly Bloom. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a840463/mollys-game-review-aaron-sorkin/)
- **HeyUGuys** (85/100, inferred): The review calls the film exhilarating, engaging and confidently directed by Aaron Sorkin. It particularly praises Jessica Chastain’s performance and Sorkin’s handling of the nonlinear story. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/mollys-game-review/)
- **Collider**, Adam Chitwood (B+): Chitwood finds the film entertaining and calls Sorkin’s directorial debut promising, despite some script problems and excess length. He especially praises Jessica Chastain’s performance and the electric scenes she shares with Idris Elba. [Read](https://collider.com/mollys-game-review/)
- **Consequence**, Sarah Kurchak (80/100, inferred): Kurchak finds the film a successful crime drama with an unusually thoughtful perspective on failure. She praises its nuanced exploration of how luck and hard work shape success. [Read](https://consequence.net/2018/01/film-review-mollys-game/)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (75/100, inferred): The review is positive about Sorkin’s focused, tense telling of Molly Bloom’s story. It particularly praises Jessica Chastain’s confidence and Idris Elba’s performance as her lawyer. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/mollys-game-2017-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (7/10): The reviewer finds the film exciting overall, despite its uneven second half and excessive narration. Jessica Chastain’s dynamite performance is singled out as the film’s greatest strength. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/553237/mollys-game-review-tiff-2017/)
- **NME** (70/100, inferred): The review is positive overall, though it says the film’s momentum sometimes falters. It praises the lively chemistry between Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba, and singles out Kevin Costner’s final confrontation with Chastain as especially affecting. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/mollys-game-jessica-chastain-idris-elba-2205609)
- **The Ringer**, K. Austin Collins (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film ridiculous and superficial but irresistibly watchable. They praise the riveting confrontations between Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2017/12/26/movies/mollys-game-film-review-jessica-chastain-aaron-sorkin)
- **The Playlist** (64/100, inferred): The accessible page is an anti-crawler notice, so no critical verdict can be verified. It provides no praise or complaint to attribute to the critic. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/mollys-game-jessica-chastain-review-20170909/)
- **Paste**, Oktay Ege Kozak (5.5): Kozak calls the film a messy, overlong adaptation that struggles to make Molly’s story emotionally engaging. He praises Jessica Chastain’s focused performance and Sorkin’s visual flair, especially in the poker scenes. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/article/mollys-game)
- **The Wrap** (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film exhilarating at first but ultimately undermined by its overexplained, simplistic second half. They praise Jessica Chastain’s subtle, compelling performance, which is dragged down by the script and male characters speaking for Molly. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/mollys-game-review-jessica-chastain-aaron-sorkin/)

## Details

- **Director:** Aaron Sorkin
- **Director:** Aaron Sorkin
- **Writer:** Aaron Sorkin
- **Cinematography:** Charlotte Bruus Christensen
- **Editor:** Josh Schaeffer, Elliot Graham, Alan Baumgarten
- **Music:** Daniel Pemberton
- **Production design:** David Wasco
- **Costume design:** Susan Lyall
- **Producer:** Amy Pascal, Mark Gordon, Matt Jackson
- **Cast:** Jessica Chastain as Molly Bloom; Idris Elba as Charlie Jaffey; Kevin Costner as Larry Bloom; Michael Cera as Player X; Jeremy Strong as Dean Keith; Chris O'Dowd as Douglas Downey; J.C. MacKenzie as Harrison Wellstone; Brian d'Arcy James as Bad Brad
- **Runtime:** 2h 21m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 5 January 2018
- **Genres:** Drama, Crime
- **Budget:** $30 million
- **Box office:** $59 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v-pw0ZQRLY

## Where to watch in the US

- Paramount+: add-on, hd
- Hulu: add-on, hd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on
- Apple TV: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd

*Checked 2026-10-03.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IT, JP, KR, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PL, SE, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2018: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *The Social Network* (2010), Fi1m 91: Sorkin’s words with a director who knows exactly when to stop them. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-social-network.md)
- *Rounders* (1998): Underground poker in New York, with Malkovich eating biscuits and the pot.
- *Croupier* (1998): Clive Owen deals the cards and narrates his own downfall, drily, in London.
- *Bob le flambeur* (1956), Fi1m 76: Melville’s ageing Montmartre gambler plans one last job; cool, quick and sad. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/bob-le-flambeur.md)
- *Uncut Gems* (2019), Fi1m 85: What it feels like to need the bet; two hours of borrowed money and panic. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/uncut-gems.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/mollys-game