In Episode 10, Bolton and Grace recap the 2017 film, Molly’s Game, and discuss the facts of the true crime story that the movie is based on.
The movie was written and directed by Aaron Sorkin and is based on the 2014 memoir of the same name written by Molly Bloom. The film stars Jessica Chastain as Molly Bloom, a former world-class skier and aspiring law student, who found herself running a star studded high stakes poker game. Kevin Costner plays Molly’s demanding father, Michael Cera plays the infamously repugnant ‘Player X’, and Idris Elba plays Molly’s lawyer who she hires after she is named in a Federal mob indictment. The film focuses on the life of Molly Bloom, how she came to run such a high-stakes poker game, why she ends up in Federal Court and perhaps why she received the sentence she did. The film is a nice break (for the most part) from violent crime stories and immerses viewers into the world of high-stakes private poker.
Also, be sure to check out Crime of the Truest Kind wherever you get your podcasts!
Sources:
Molly’s Game (2017)
Bloom, Molly. Molly's Game: the True Story of the 26-Year-Old Woman behind the Most Exclusive, High-Stakes Underground Poker Game in the World. Dey Street, an Imprint of William Morrow Publishers, 2017.
“Molly's Game.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 June 2021.
“18 U.S. Code § 1955 - Prohibition of Illegal Gambling Businesses.” Legal Information Institute.
Cohen, Nicole. “Molly Bloom And Aaron Sorkin On The Real Story Behind 'Molly's Game'.” NPR, 6 Jan. 2018.
“Jim Walden (Lawyer).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Apr. 2021.
Kaufman, Amy. “How Molly Bloom Went from 'Poker Princess' to the 'Movie Heroine' of 'Molly's Game'.” Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2018.
Kaye, Don. “Idris Elba on the Reality Behind His Molly's Game Character.” Den of Geek, 28 Dec. 2017.
Lang, Kevin. “Molly's Game vs. The True Story of Molly Bloom.” History vs. Hollywood, 7 Apr. 2020.
“Larry Bloom.” Semester at Sea, 21 July 2020.
“N.Y. Penal Law § 225.10.” Casetext, accessed on 24 Apr. 2021.
Pempus, Brian. “'Poker Princess' Pleads Guilty In Gambling Case.” CardPlayer, 27 Dec. 2013.
Surrey, Miles. “The Real Celebrity Stories Behind 'Molly's Game'.” The Ringer, 27 Dec. 2017.
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