In real life, his name was Darin Feinstein, a co-owner of The Viper Room who brought Molly on as an executive assistant. He was tall and handsome, with a relaxed charisma that not all icons have in person As Rick [Salomon] took a seat, I saw him focus on Ben. Youre too rich now? Aaron's Sorkin's Molly's Game stars Jessica Chastain as the real-life Molly Bloom, who ran the most exclusive high-stakes poker games in the world. The movie calls him Dean Keith; Blooms memoir calls him Reardon Green. Affleck is a notorious gamblerthe guy was allegedly kicked out of the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas in 2014 for counting cards at a blackjack table. In researching the Molly's Game true story, we learned that initially the buy-in started at $10,000. For each section, well include excerpts from Blooms book. In real life, Molly began . Her only ally was criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned there was much more to Molly than poker. 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 Mollys Game. Wowwww you must be really rich.. While she is in NYC awaiting trial, her father Larry seeks her out and attempts to reconcile. Based on a true story. [20] On November 9, 2016, Chris O'Dowd, Jeremy Strong, Bill Camp, and Graham Greene joined the cast as well. She didn't have much time for prep or research," Bloom told ET Canada's Matte Babel. What's the most that Molly Bloom saw someone lose in a single night? Admitted card cheat Houston Curtis has written a book about founding the game with Maguire and how wild things became. I had watched him stare at the cards he was holding, knowing full well he had the winning hand but suddenly unsure after Tobeys performance. Keep your chip.. and "What do they eat?" And, since Tobey was a vegan, it really bothered him when people ordered pepperoni pizzas. Whats wrong? She begins cocktail waitressing and catches the eye of producer Dean Keith (Jeremy Strong), who finds her smart and capable. I looked at him. Show more 2 hours, 9 minutes Last on Sun 27 Mar. Mollys Game features a star-studded cast, with Jessica Chastain in the titular role, Idris Elba as lawyer Charlie Jaffey, Kevin Costner as father Larry Bloom, and Michael Cera as the nasty Player X. [35] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. . Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans, and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Cmon, he said, holding the chip above my head. These days, Curtis resides in Phoenix and is penning his next book, about his exploits as a card cheat and launching a sleight-of-hand website, kardsharp.com. Molly Bloom uma esquiadora magnata de classe mundial com aspiraes olmpicas, resultado de anos de treinamento forado de seu pai autoritrio. ThoughSorkin has his fair share of unremarkable releases,like the underwhelmingBeing the Ricardos,much of his work is celebrated exactly for the liberal use of "Sorkin-esque repartee," a style that continues to influence fully fictional and reality-based entertainment alike. He was crass and dirty, but he was still hot in a caveman kind of way. I think for Tobey, it was more the thrill of knowing hed made a good deal.. The guys included billionaires who had everything but fame. It was nice, he said, and pushed into a huge pot. -Ellen. She stayed silent on the others, protecting their identities. I dumped chips to guys who played badly and would lose them back.. High in the Clouds. -Ellen. Rick had no filter. ""The feds first found out about it because a guy [hedge fund manager Bradley Ruderman] in my LA game was running a Ponzi scheme. Starring Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Molly's Game: The True Story of the 26-Year-Old Woman Behind the Most Exclusive, High-Stakes Underground Poker Game in the World. I recognized in that instant that this is not an opportunity that a girl from a small town in Colorado gets. My face was on fire. [] The film looks sharp and a trio of editors keeps thing pacey despite the 140-minute running time." [29] The film expanded wide on January 5, 2018, alongside the opening of Insidious: The Last Key, and was projected to gross around $6 million from 1,608 theaters in its opening weekend. Curtis said that Ruderman was so inept and so rich that he was considered a godsend. Lalibert was also valued. Portrayed by Jeremy Strong in the Molly's Game movie and referred to as Reardon Green in the book, Molly's boss, Darin Feinstein, wasn't the most pleasant of men. -Vice, Yes. But whats the legacy of the blockbuster album? He owned 100 percent of his downside and was only realizing 50 percent of his wins, and he was the only one at the table who was playing for his mortgage. But by 2008, Curtis was enduring a trifecta of problems: The value of his $3 million home had dipped by two-thirds, a $4 million TV-distribution deal went south and he had lost $100,000 in Las Vegas. Curtis claims Bloom was not the mastermind she purported to be and that she was primarily there to deflect attention so that he and Maguire could win millions without spooking their pals. She has experience in editorial working as the deputy editor for Specialty Food, an online and print magazine, curating its news section and social media. While a lot of the movie takes into account the true story of Molly Bloom, it also leaves out some details, making room for the trademark repartee in Aaron Sorkin's movies and tv shows. 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There's poker, the Russian mafia, the Italian mafia, celebrities, and sports. And at over two hours long, the film still feels tight and never fails to entertain. Curtis estimates he won around $15 million during the games four years. Hailing from Queretaro, Mexico, she is a graduate of the University of East Anglia's English Literature with Creative Writing program. Tobey was incredibly convincing, and so earnest that the guy eventually, although reluctantly, gave in. I didnt like this. [24], Molly's Game premiered on September 8, 2017, at the Toronto International Film Festival. He said to me, Dude, I have to get these scumbags out of my house., (A representative for Washington had no comment.). "I made this mix CD with 'The Gambler' on it and other really clichd songs," says Molly, "and I had a cheese plate, and my cutest outfit, and I walked into this room and it was incredible. It's for men only, and we see how men like Molly's boss Dean Keith ( Jeremy Strong ), Player X (Cera), Douglas Downey ( Chris O'Dowd ), Bad Brad ( Brian d'Arcy James ), Harlan Eustice (. He said, Ill have a poker room set up downstairs and get a hot piece of ass named Molly to serve drinks, Curtis said of their introduction to Bloom, then an employee of Feinsteins. He also glimpsed the stars petty side. When A-Rod shows up to one of the games, it naturally causes a bit of a ruckus. Douglas Downey. [30] The following weekend it dropped 44% to $3.9 million, finishing 11th. To me, his actions were in really bad taste. When writing the screenplay, Aaron Sorkin did not interview Bloom's real-life lawyer, Jim Walden (pictured below, right). He made off with her cash and jewelry, telling her that he had been sent by the mobsters. > Dean Keith Chris O'Dowd > Douglas Downey Jessica Chastain > Molly Bloom Natalie Krill > Winston Madison McKinley > Shelby Joe Keery > Trust Fund Cole The only thing missing for Sorkin's wheelhouse is President Bartlet. No thanks, I said, as casually as if he had asked me if I wanted a Tic Tac. One night, Matt Damon came as a guest of his buddy Affleck. C. Chris O'Dowd. Like in the movie, she had hired a driver for security reasons. One-thousand dollars was his insult tip.. I moved into her tiny house and a doctor [said] that my heart was functioning at 25 percent. -Business Insider, It's somewhat obvious that "Player X" represents Tobey Maguire, who plays the biggest part in Bloom's memoir, but there's not an exact one-to-one correlation between the two. Molly's Game features a star-studded cast, with Jessica Chastain in the titular role, Idris Elba as lawyer Charlie Jaffey, Kevin Costner as father Larry Bloom, and Michael Cera as the nasty Player X. Molly's Game - watch online: streaming, buy or rent Broken, beaten and abandoned, Curtis received a lifeline of $15,000 from Moonves and found a ride to Illinois, where he went to live with his mother. Maguires relationship with Bloom grew increasingly toxicat one point in the book, she admits she got nervous if the actor was a dealt a few bad hands because hed take out his frustration on her (and the generous tips she was making). 367 Skini titl. Her dealer convinces her to begin taking a percentage of large pots, recouping her potential losses but making her game an illegal gambling operation. How it plays out in the movie: After the heated exchange about her tips, Bloom receives a text from Player X that says the game will take place at another venuerather than the hotel she had set up for everyoneand there was no need for her to show up. Like in real life, barring some name changes, Dean Keith (The Big Short'sJeremy Strong) met Molly while she was waitressing and offered her a gig as his assistant at his night club. Then he suffered the biggest loss of his gambling career: $1 million in a single, terrible night at The Four Seasons. That is, until the 2017 release of the crime-drama Molly's Game. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans . But if you dont 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. But Tobey said, Dont worry. [31] In its third week of wide release the film grossed $1.7 million, finishing 19th. He lost around $50,000 to me and didnt have any money [on him], Curtis recalled. Back in 2005, the Spider-Man star collaborated with a card cheat-turned-TV producer named Houston Curtis to create a regular poker game for themselves and their rich pals where as much as a few million bucks could be in play on any night. Im not kidding. She then gets a call from the cackling celeb, who triumphantly tells her, You are so fucked.. Every week? I asked, assessing the damage. Two who did were Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Lalibert and hedge-fund manager Brad Ruderman. The rest of Molly's Game never lives up to the promise of its first scene. The judge, deciding that she had committed no serious crimes, sentences her to 200 hours community service, one year probation, and a $200,000 fine. Maguire quickly enlisted one of his best friends, Leonardo DiCaprio, as a lure. After crashing out of the qualifiers, Molly moves to Los Angeles and stumbles into running a poker game for her day-job boss Dean (Jeremy Strong, in full Succession-pilot sicko mode). Next: Self-Made True Story: What Netflix Changes About Madam C.J. Dodao: Backuper 13.07.2021. I was essentially loaning them money, guaranteeing that money. The website's critical consensus reads, "Powered by an intriguing story and a pair of outstanding performances from Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba, Molly's Game marks a solid debut for writer-director Aaron Sorkin. More books than SparkNotes. Is Golden State a sleeping giant? Give Naatu Naatu Best Original Song. Something went wrong. On November 12, 2014, Mark Gordon's The Mark Gordon Company bought the feature film adaptation rights to Molly Bloom's memoir, Molly's Game, which Gordon produced. Once you select Rent you'll have 14 days to start watching the film and 48 hours to finish it. But because those anecdotes are still thoroughly interesting, lets go through all of the stories behind Mollys Gamestarting with Player Xs true identity, and then touching on the stuff that didnt make it into the movie. Dean Keith. Harlan Eustice, a skilled, conservative, and successful player, joins Molly's game. Molly went home and started Googling, "What kind of music do poker players like to listen to?" "So I was extending credit to these guys. [13] On February 18, 2016, Sony exited the project,[14] and on May 13, 2016, STX Entertainment came on board, and subsequently bought the film's US and Chinese distribution rights for $9 million. They met and he was onboard for turning her story into a film. Based on a true story, Molly's Game was adapted from Bloom's memoir of the same name by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, The West Wing). About. [DiCaprio] is a guy worth $80 million and he didnt want to put up the $5,000 buy-in. But overall, theMollys Game true story remains intact, despite this fictional person being included. This scene doesnt make it into Blooms memoir, although that is because she wrote it before her actual sentencing. [18] On October 17, 2016, Kevin Costner joined as Molly Bloom's father,[19] and on October 21, 2016, Brian d'Arcy James was added. The more insane details in the movie about Mollys experiences working with Keith are relatively true to life. Eustice is an on-screen stand-in for television producer Houston Curtis, who had the same lopsided arrangement with the actorthough Curtis said Maguire eventually let the debt slide. Jeremy Strong Dean Keith. Those ancillary stories are great, though, especially if you love celebrity gossip. As Chastains Bloom points out, this is usury. Knowing them makes the movie a little more fun, so here are the best onesincluding Maguires most egregious moment in Mollys Game. Screenwriter/director Aaron Sorkin consulted Molly throughout the screenwriting process. Molly Bloom ran the most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before the FBI arrested her. In Mollys Game, it is called The Cobra Lounge, while the real-life poker games took place at The Viper Room, found on the Sunset Strip. R, 2 hr 20 min. "[36] Mike Ryan of Uproxx gave the film 9/10, writing, "Molly's Game is a perfect story for Sorkin. Becoming a bottle service waitress at a club, she soon meets Dean, an ostentatious but unsuccessful real estate developer. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned that there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led us to believe. Rent 3.49. He doesnt show up much in Mollys Game, but Bloom characterizes him as polite and charming, and not that interested in talking about Jennifer Lopezs butt. I saw the wheels turning. The movie changes the name of the club, though. Mollys Game takes its inspiration from both the memoir and close work between Sorkin and Bloom herself, so Bloom was there to fill in the details between 2014, when the book was published, and 2017, when the movie hit theaters. I greeted Ben at the door. It premiered first in the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2018, the movie was nominated in the 2018 Academy Award for the Best Adapted Screenplay category. And yet Sorkin's latest film and directorial debut Molly's Game is relatively faithful to the life of its subject, Molly Bloom (played by Jessica Chastain ). She was to be contacted about setting up a meeting but it never happened. When the Olsen twins showed up with a billionaire I was trying to land for a game, they were in, no questions asked. In particular, she hopes to please the most successful player, a film star named Player X, by attracting new players to the game. Dean Stinchcombe. But, Curtis writes, neither the movie nor Blooms own memoir tells the true story of the LA game. Rick Salomon showed up next. On Tuesday nights from 2005 until 2009, bold-faced names including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio and The Notebook director Nick Cassavetes flocked to The Viper Room or Beverly Hills Four Seasons Hotel to play. Actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, and Macaulay Culkin became known participants in the underground poker scene after a court case turned public; the bank sued Molly for the money one of her players, Ponzi scheme runner Bradley Ruderman, had lost in the game. I dont have all my money back, he said. However, like in the movie, Maguire really did call Molly to gleefully inform her she had lost the game. She became known as the "Poker Princess.". Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Yes, at least that's what she states in her book Molly's Game. The room was silent. There were A-list actors, the most famous people we see on television, politicians, and they're all seated around this table playing this game that I didn't know what it was, but it seemed to be super compelling to them." Molly's Game, based on a true story, features an unnamed Hollywood actor known only as Player X, played by Michael Cera. Interestingly, the fictional law firm Jaffey works for, Gage Whitney, has made several appearances in Sorkins work, including in The West Wing and Studio 60. Initially, she just served drinks and we gave her numbers to call the guys.. This is in Bloom's memoir. Molly had nothing to do with anything, Curtis said. (Lalibert did not return requests for comment.). Serving as the dealer was Maguires then-wife, Jen Meyer. I walked into my house, my daughter ran up to me, and I literally broke into tears.. She has worked as a freelance writer since 2017, writing articles, features, and profiles in a wide range of topics, from business and tech to pop culture and media. So I want to help women to be successful." After a serious injury ruined her chances of skiing at the Olympics, Molly Blooms life changed direction. -TIME. Yes. Rick was hot. That its all based on Blooms real-life experiences makes this one of the most fascinating true stories in years, and a revealing window into a high-stakes poker world in which a single hand could be worth more than most people make in their lifetime. Here are some of Blooms stories about Maguire that made it into Sorkins big-screen adaptation. director of photography Film Editing by Casting By MOLLY'S GAME is the true story of Molly Bloom a beautiful, young, Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Some people just didnt have the stomach for those stakes.. Oops. Douglas Downey. However, as seeninseries and movies like The Newsroom,Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Steve Jobs, Moneyball, Molly's Game, and A Few Good Men-all based on real events - Sorkin's unique dialogue only serves to further enhance and deepen the way audiences appreciate and understand true stories. Hey, yo, did that Jennifer Lopezs ass have cellulite on it, or was it nice?. In her book, Bloom only refers by name to the people who the media had already outed, protecting the identity of her players who remained anonymous. Charlie reads Molly's book and becomes interested in helping her case, as he feels she has not committed serious enough wrongdoing to merit prison. This prompted her to take a percentage of the pot in order to operate as the bank, a move that caught the attention of the Feds. (Independently, Bloom was sentenced to a years probation, a $200,000 fine and 200 hours of community service for gambling-related infractions in NYC.). She enlists Charlie Jaffey's help, a high-profile, expensive lawyer in New York, who agrees to help after learning she has been protecting innocent people affected by her poker games. As Curtis told the Observer, he believes Maguire used his famous friend to get big fish to come to the table: Tobey was basically paying their entry fee, and using Leo as a lure to get these billionaires like Alec Gores and Andy Beal to come to the games.. Curtiss wife moved with their kids to the East Coast. And that was when I crossed over and broke a federal law. Molly is approached by the Italian mafia, who offer their services to extort money from non-paying players. Related:Jessica Chastain & Idris Elba Intrigued By IT Sequel Fan-Casting. Keith is a foul-mouthed real estate agent whose principal source of income is in running illegal backroom, high-stakes poker games populated by celebrities, athletes and other assorted fat. His face was lit up like it was Christmas Eve. [27], Molly's Game grossed $28.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $30.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $59.3 million. The club had been partly owned by Johnny Depp from its opening in 1993 until 2004. His character is inspired by Darin Feinstein and he starts out as Molly's employee. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. The so-called "Poker. It is adapted from eponymous the biographical memoir of Molly Bloom, an entrepreneur, speaker, and author. Principal photography began in November 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Mollys Game endingbrings her and her father together, where he finally acts the part of supportive parent before her trial. Molly earns large sums of money in tips alone. I laughed again, stalling, hoping he would play the joke out by himself and leave. The money helped inspire her to fully embrace the world of underground poker. Chastain is magneticso focusing on her character was a solid choiceand as Sorkin told The Hollywood Reporter, he wanted to make Blooms riveting true story the center of his film, rather than the celebrities that inhabited the world she created. Molly's Game. This seems to be in line with the tasteless persona of "Player X" in the Molly's Game movie. The dream home was sold, he said. There were Wall Street titans. He wanted his principal plus 50 percent of Curtiss wins and no downside. Player X, along with many others, leaves Dean's games to play at Molly's. What do I want you to do, he said, as if he were pondering. Related: Just Mercy True Story: What The Movie Gets Right & Changes. Outside of outliers like Rounders and Casino Royale, poker themed films generally result in a rather forgettable experience. BARK., Tobey, I said. After writing the book, she went around Hollywood trying to find a way to get a meeting with Aaron Sorkin. Molly Bloom, a beautiful young Olympic-class skier, ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Leo was tighter than a gnats ass.. However, Bloom says that, similar to the film, her criminal attorney, Jim Walden, did vouch for her for $250,000 that she didn't have. . He, his wife and their two daughters lived in a $3 million LA home. Like the time film producer Rick Salomon infamous for starring in a sex tape with Paris Hilton grilled Affleck about Jennifer Lopez, the actors former fiance. -Vice, "The trajectory that I started out, from serving people drinks, then I became a game runner and operator, and then, ultimately, I became the bank," Molly explained. His opponent had gotten confused. Salomon is probably best known for the sex tape he made with then-girlfriend Paris Hilton in 2004, but hes 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. He went into cardiac arrest during a biopsy. "[17] On September 7, 2016, Michael Cera joined the cast as Player X, a celebrity poker player. In fact, Sorkin didnt even interview Blooms real-life lawyer, Jim Walden, to allow himself one wholly fictional element. Em vez de seguir seu plano original de frequentar a faculdade de . An avid reader and fan of writing, she leverages her love of literature to dissect movies in her favorite genres, including horror, rom-coms, and superhero movies. Yes. -Ellen. -Vice, In 2014, Bloom, who was 36 at the time, was cleared of a number of the charges she was facing and was sentenced to one year probation, 200 hours of community service, and a $1,000 fine. Thanks, Tobey, I said, reaching my hand out. Although Bloom kept the identities of many of her regulars a. . Walker's Life. In the new movie, adapted from Bloom's book of the same name, Player X is a . [10] Bloom had already approached Sorkin, as he was her "favorite writer". The heart condition reversed itself. Maguire, who, according to unnamed sources in the books introduction, could have made up to $30 to $40 million from the games had reportedly earned $36.5 million plus back-end earnings on the Spider-Man franchise, thought otherwise. Even with the flaws or disappointments that I mentioned, Molly's Game was a better than average watch and I look forward to more films directed and written by Sorkin. He also makes his directorial debut, which made his choice of director of photography . She often found herself being stiffed cash she was owed. Her poker customers came to include men from the Russian mob. An Olympic-level skier whose plans for law school were derailed when she fell into the world of the exclusive poker games of Los Angeles, Bloom's life became prime movie material when she got. Much of the positivereviews of Molly's Game can be attributed to how Sorkin carefully chose the changes he made to the real story, such as how the only thing the moviechanged about the club owner who first launched Molly into the world of underground poker is his name.