Film

Molly's Game

Name: Molly's Game
Genre: Drama, Crime
Released: 2017
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong

Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut turns a true story into a machine-gun monologue: Molly Bloom narrates her own rise from Olympic ski hopeful to the woman who ran Hollywood's most exclusive poker game, then her fall when the FBI came knocking. It's fast, showy, quotable, and Chastain is magnetic as a woman who refuses to be anyone's victim narrative. Great for people who like their true-crime with wit and a bit of swagger.

TMDb rating

7.2

If you liked this

The Social Network2010

Same writer, same engine — a brilliant, prickly outsider builds an empire and gets torn apart by lawyers and betrayal, told in that unmistakable Sorkin rat-a-tat.

But If the dialogue style in Molly's Game already felt exhausting, this one doubles down on it.

Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine2015

Another Sorkin script built on a real, difficult, magnetic figure who bends everyone around them — structured almost entirely around confrontations and control.

But Cooler and more clinical than Molly's Game; less room to actually like anyone.

Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine poster

Casino1995

Scorsese's sprawling, narration-heavy account of running a gambling empire and watching it curdle — the glamour and the rot side by side.

But Three hours, brutally violent in places, and colder toward its characters than Sorkin ever gets.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Uncut Gems2019

Same addiction to the action and the same charismatic hustler at the center, but played as pure nervous-system horror instead of Sorkin's slick control.

Takes the high-stakes gambling world Molly's Game glamorizes and strips out every ounce of cool, replacing it with sweat, panic, and a heartbeat you can hear in your ears.

But Deliberately unpleasant to sit through — anxiety-inducing by design, not a fun night out.

The Big Short2015

Rapid, funny, righteously angry filmmaking about people gaming a system nobody else understood, breaking the fourth wall to make sure you keep up.

But More ensemble and less character-driven than Molly's Game — you're following ideas as much as people.

Rounders1998

The poker movie Molly's Game nods to constantly — smoky rooms, dangerous men, and the seduction of being the smartest person at the table.

But Slower, scrappier, and far less polished; it's a cult favourite rather than a slick prestige picture.

American Hustle2013

A true-crime con job played with big performances and a wink, full of people who are brilliant, self-deluded, and one bad decision from ruin.

But Messier and more farcical in tone — less interested in moral clarity than Molly's Game is.

The Wolf of Wall Street2013

Another charismatic narrator walking you through their own excess and eventual downfall, daring you to enjoy it while you judge it.

But Far raunchier and more chaotic; three hours of hedonism can wear thin.

A Most Violent Year2014no page yet

A quieter, tenser study of someone trying to run something honest in a dishonest world, with the law closing in the whole time.

But Much slower and moodier — no banter, no adrenaline, just dread.

Erin Brockovich2000

A sharp, unglamorous woman refuses to be underestimated by powerful men and wins on her own terms — the same spine as Molly's story, sunnier ending.

But Feels dated stylistically and lacks the crackling dialogue that makes Molly's Game buzz.

The Sting1973

Molly's Game is a Sorkin-era descendant of this exact template: charming operators, underground games, and a con that only works because everyone's performing.

Newman and Redford run an elaborate con on a dangerous man, all charm, cards, and long games played for keeps — the granddaddy of the genre Molly's Game belongs to.

But Old-fashioned pacing and a very different, more theatrical style of cool than modern audiences may expect.

All In: The Poker Movie2009no page yet

Swaps the dramatized, narrated version of the poker world for the real thing, showing how much of Molly's Game's glamour was already true before Sorkin got to it.

A documentary tour through the real poker boom — the players, the money, the online explosion — that gives you the factual texture behind the myth Molly's Game dramatizes.

But No script, no stars, no Sorkin polish — just talking heads and archival footage, which can feel flat after a movie.