“Molly’s Game” Sees Aaron Sorkin’s Directorial Debut

Aaron Sorkin directs his first feature, and since he also wrote the script, it’s all quite Sorkinesque: smart characters delivering clever, quippy dialogue at a fast clip — mostly from Molly (Jessica Chastain). It’s a true story. Molly Bloom runs a private poker game for the rich and famous, and while Bloom tends her business with diligence and compassion, her enterprise borders on illegality and when the Feds try to catch some bigger fish by going right through her, she needs help in the form of an unusually ethical lawyer (Idris Elba). The film’s all-star cast also includes Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Chris O’Dowd, Brian d’Arcy James and Justin Kirk. Sorkin reveals Bloom’s amazing tale by turns, and — like a hand of Texas Hold’em — as each new card is revealed the whole game seems to change. THE WORD: Keen and crisp — Sorkin works his magic and wins with a fascinating, twisted true story. THE WHERE: Theaters