My face was on fire. In Molly Bloom's book, which the film is based on, she names a number of Hollywood stars who could easily fill the role. And as A-Rod took in the glamorous, well-appointed poker game I was running, a game that happened to have millions of dollars in chips on the table, the posturing started … Alex Rodriguez was watching it all, and having a great time. Aaron Sorkin says that Molly's Game's Player X isn't just one person, that he is an amalgamation of several celebrities who Molly wrote about. Still, in his first film with a female protagonist, the writer-director has hit on a timely theme: the tribulations of being a woman in a man's world. He could have procured much better options. As my influence had increased, and my tips, so had his harping. She is approached by several Italian mafia members who offer their services to extort money from non-paying players. When Bloom takes her games to New York, she uses A-Rod the way Maguire had used Leo: He was a big name that elevated the status of the operation. I saw the wheels turning. And what’s one made-up, league-altering trade we desperately want to see? As she is about to return to her poker games, the FBI conducts a raid, a result of Douglas Downey, one of her players, acting as an informant. Not only was he devastatingly handsome, he was incredibly talented. Molly is initially uninformed on poker topics but quickly learns how to appeal to the players to gain tips. You won’t bark for a thousand dollars? [19] On November 9, 2016, Chris O'Dowd, Jeremy Strong, Bill Camp, and Graham Greene joined the cast as well. His opponent had gotten confused. The Ringer’s NBA staff weighs in. “Bark like a seal who wants a fish,” he said. And at over two hours long, the film still feels tight and never fails to entertain. The people who were there and those who have preserved its legacy explain how it happened. Bloom made her money on the tips she got from players, which, as the games’ buy-ins increased, grew larger and larger. Tobey was powerful and tactical. He flipped it over a couple times in his fingers. “No thanks,” I said, as casually as if he had asked me if I wanted a Tic Tac. Salomon is probably best known for the sex tape he made with then-girlfriend Paris Hilton in 2004, but he’s a big-time poker player in his own right: He won $2.8 million at the 2014 World Series of Poker's Big One for One Drop event. A best friend of Maguire, Leo came to play poker when Molly’s games were just … She rents a penthouse at a hotel and hires a staff to help her run games. “C’mon,” he said, holding the chip above my head. In her time running the game, Bloom crossed paths with A-listers like Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, Nelly, and even Alex Rodriguez, so there are many sources of inspiration for Player X, played by a twitchy Michael Cera in Molly’s Game. Principal photography began in November 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Maguire has yet to comment publicly about Molly's Game. "[37] Chastain's portrayal of Molly Bloom was praised by The Hollywood Reporter, for "Chastain roars through the performance with a force and take-no-prisoners attitude that keeps one rapt." For each section, we’ll include excerpts from Bloom’s book. “Thanks for the heads-up.” I attempted to sound casual, but the words caught in my throat and the tears were coming hard and fast. Marvel Wasted The Opportunity To Tell The Avengers Coulson Is Alive. [23], Molly's Game premiered on September 8, 2017, at the Toronto International Film Festival. "[21], Principal photography began on November 9, 2016, in Toronto. But if you know where to look, you can see Clare constructing her narrative. He had a strange style at the table, though; it was almost as if he wasn’t trying to win or lose. But if you don’t see it, just remember: Tobey Maguire in real life is much more like Bad Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3 than Peter Parker in the original movie. One who takes a central role is an actor known as Player X, and while he's played by Michael Cera in the film, the Scott Pilgrim star isn't the real-life player. Maguire’s relationship with Bloom grew increasingly toxic—at one point in the book, she admits she got nervous if the actor was a dealt a few bad hands because he’d take out his frustration on her (and the generous tips she was making). He admits that he was overbearing and that he treated Molly differently than her brothers because she had known about his affairs. The Molly's Game movie also implies that Player X had a lot of the power and brought heavy hitters in and that when Molly (Jessica Chastain) takes over the game it is his approval she needs to successfully pull off the coup. In the film, Player X is bothered by Bloom earning more and more money from the tips, saying he wants to cap it—as he puts it, “Your money is my money.” Bloom is, obviously, insulted by this. He doesn’t show up much in Molly’s Game, but Bloom characterizes him as polite and charming, and not that interested in talking about Jennifer Lopez’s butt. Additionally, she contacts employees at clubs and casinos to try and spread word about her poker games. “I think for Tobey, it was more the thrill of knowing he’d made a good deal.”. “It was nice,” he said, and pushed into a huge pot. Aaron Sorkin was hired to adapt the memoir into a screenplay. My face was burning. And is this finally the year Dave Roberts gets the hook for his questionable bullpen usage? I looked at him. [4] The film earned Chastain a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Drama,[5] while Sorkin earned nominations for his screenplay at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Writers Guild of America Awards, and BAFTA Awards.[6][7]. He had taken to criticizing me about everything under the sun, especially how much I was making in my role. [24] It began a limited release in North America on December 25, 2017, before expanding wide on January 5, 2018. [30] In its third week of wide release the film grossed $1.7 million, finishing 19th. A one-stop shop for all things video games. Molly earns large sums of money in tips alone. “I’m not going to bark like a seal. Her dealer convinces her to begin taking a percentage of large pots, allowing her to recoup her potential losses but making her game an illegal gambling operation. Knowing them makes the movie a little more fun, so here are the best ones—including Maguire’s most egregious moment in Molly’s Game. [27], Peter Debruge of Variety praised Sorkin's script, saying, "... Molly's Game delivers one of the screen's great female parts — a dense, dynamic, compulsively entertaining affair, whose central role makes stunning use of Chastain's stratospheric talent. Reading the book and watching the movie, it’s pretty easy to determine that Player X is actually the OG Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire. [17] On October 17, 2016, Kevin Costner joined as Molly Bloom's father,[18] and on October 21, 2016, Brian d'Arcy James was added. Is he an amalgam of the poker players’ worst tendencies, wrapped up into one, smarmy character? "[33] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". "[35] Mike Ryan of Uproxx gave the film 9/10, writing, "Molly's Game is a perfect story for Sorkin. Dean, upon seeing that Molly is becoming increasingly independent in running the games, attempts to control her, and then he fires her. It stars Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Chris O'Dowd, Joe Keery, Brian D'Arcy James, and Bill Camp. If what Houston told me was true, Tobey owned Houston now, and they must have both known it. “Get up on that desk and bark like a seal.”. Here's who he really is. "[38], Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association, "Insidious: The Last Key Unlocks Few Scares", "Golden Globe Nominations: Complete List", "The Shape of Water leads Bafta nominations", "Writers Guild Awards: 'Get Out,' 'Call Me by Your Name,' 'Lady Bird' Nab Nominations", "Mark Gordon & Aaron Sorkin Team On Molly Bloom High-Stakes Poker Memoir", "The true story behind "Molly's Game" is wild", "Aaron Sorkin to Make Directorial Debut With Underground Poker Drama 'Molly's Game, "Sony Drops Aaron Sorkin's 'Molly's Game,' Film to Be Shopped at Cannes", "STX Circles Aaron Sorkin's 'Molly's Game' Rights for $9 Million", "Jessica Chastain Offered Lead in Aaron Sorkin's 'Molly's Game, "Idris Elba in Talks to Join Jessica Chastain in Aaron Sorkin's 'Molly's Game' (EXCLUSIVE)", "Michael Cera in talks for Aaron Sorkin's poker biopic Molly's Game", "Kevin Costner Eyes Aaron Sorkin's 'Molly's Game' With Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba", "Chris O'Dowd joins Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba in Aaron Sorkin's 'Molly's Game, "Molly Bloom Talks Jessica Chastain's Performance In 'Molly's Game', Incident With Tobey Maguire", "PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY BEGINS ON AARON SORKIN'S MOLLY'S GAME STARRING JESSICA CHASTAIN AND IDRIS ELBA", "Aaron Sorkin's 'Molly's Game' Replaces Kevin Spacey Film At AFI Fest", "STX Sets Dates for 'Molly's Game,' 'Happytime Murders' With Melissa McCarthy", "January Slows As 'Jumanji' Takes No. Outside of actors, Molly's games were also attended sometimes by professional athletes and other rich socialites. [1] It was also the closing film at AFI Fest on November 16, 2017, replacing All the Money in the World. You can almost picture him on the sidelines, in a turtleneck sweater, gleefully reacting to folded hands and rivers. [32], On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 81% based on 297 reviews, with an average rating of 7.07/10. Molly's Game received positive reviews, with particular praise for Sorkin's screenplay, as well as Chastain and Elba's performances, with the former being considered one of the best of her career by some critics. But I think he realized, like I had, that staying in Tobey’s good graces was essential to staying in the game. “I’m not kidding. I was embarrassed, but I was also angry. One night, after accidentally losing a hand to the notorious worst player in Molly's circle, Harlan becomes increasingly compulsive, suffering heavy losses (later, Molly finds out that Player X, who enjoys ruining people's lives more than the game itself, has been funding Harlan to keep him in the game). After reaching out to many wealthy New Yorkers, Molly finds enough players for several weekly games. “Thank you,” I sniffled, wanting to believe him. It’s telling that in her book, Bloom is careful not to take shots at other celebrities—but she lets Maguire’s actions speak for themselves, and it’s all quite horrifying. Instead of following her original plan of attending law school, Molly decides to take a year off and move to Los Angeles. I pulled him aside to show him the board. Harlan Eustice, a skilled, conservative, and successful player, joins Molly's game. “I’m sorry,” he said, as if he had just realized that I was a real person with real feelings. He was an avid player and responsible for bringing certain players to the table originally run by Molly's former boss, who in the film goes by Dean Keith, a real estate agent who hires her to be his assistant in his office and at the poker game. The truth is, Player X is less of a collection of stories relating to different celebrities, and more of a stand-in for one star in specific. Wowwww … you must be really rich.”. Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck and Tobey Maguire are just a few of the A-list names that played in Molly's games, but it's the latter actor who people think is most likely to be the basis for Player X. Charlie negotiates a deal for Molly to receive no sentence and for her money to be returned in exchange for her hard drives and digital records from gambling. Many famous and wealthy individuals, such as movie stars, investment bankers, and sports players, are involved in Dean's game. I looked back at him, praying my face wasn’t as red as it felt. “I’ll try to talk to him for you,” he said awkwardly.