The reviews are out for the new movie "Molly's Game," which received a positive rating from critics who generally praised Jessica Chastain's nuanced acting and Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut.
The movie, which is also written by Sorkin, received a respectable 80 percent rating from Rotten Tomatoes, which is a site that aggregates review scores from different entertainment outlets. Here are what some of the reviewers had to say.
Justin Chang from the Los Angeles Times expressed, "Chastain draws us so deeply into Molly's lightning-speed thought processes that you can almost see her synapses firing, making 'Molly's Game' not just a biographical portrait but a genuine thriller of the mind."
Peter Travers from Rolling Stone shared, "Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut gives 'poker queen' Molly Bloom the royal treatment she deserves. Star Jessica Chastain proves as eloquent in silence as she does in speech and deals audiences a winning hand."
K. Austin Collins from The Ringer stated, "It's verbose, superficial, convoluted, and addictively watchable. In other words, it's another Aaron Sorkin project."
The movie is based on the true story of Molly Bloom played by Chastain, an Olympic skier who turned out to be running high-stakes poker games for the wealthy and elite. Her clients included Hollywood celebrities, sports stars, and business tycoons. However, along the way, her patrons slowly included nefarious individuals and later, the Russian mob. After a number of years, she was arrested by FBI agents in the middle of the night as they barged in with automatic weapons.
Her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba) defended her in court and learned more about her more in the process. From his point of view, what she portrayed in the media wasn't exactly how she was in person. Critics agree that Chastain gave a convincing performance as the skier-turned-hustler.
"Molly's Game" is currently showing in theaters nationwide.
