Molly's Game

Molly's Game is a 2017 American biographical film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin (in his directorial debut), based on the 2014 memoir by Molly Bloom. The film follows Molly, a former Olympic-class skier, as she runs the world's most exclusive underground poker empire and becomes the target of an FBI investigation. It stars Jessica Chastain as Molly, with Idris Elba as her lawyer and Kevin Costner as her father, alongside Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Chris O'Dowd, Joe Keery, Brian D'Arcy James, and Bill Camp.

The film shows her rise and fall as the "Poker Princess", building poker empires in L.A. and New York. Her poker players include some of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world: movie stars, elite athletes, billionaire business magnates, and, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mafia.

Molly's Game received positive reviews, with praise for Sorkin's screenplay and Chastain and Elba's performances. Chastain's performance was regarded by critics as one of the best of her career, earning her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Drama. Sorkin's screenplay earned him nominations for the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Writers Guild of America Awards, and BAFTA Awards.

Principal photography began in November 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The film premiered on September 8, 2017, at the Toronto International Film Festival, and began a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 25, 2017, by STX Entertainment. It went to world-wide distribution on January 5, 2018, grossing $59 million worldwide.

Plot

Molly Bloom is a world-class mogul skier with Olympic aspirations, thanks to years of strict training from her overbearing father. In a qualifying event for the 2002 Winter Olympics, she is severely injured, ending her skiing career.