Alan Sorkin is a master at creating characters in the screenwriting world, whether it's TV ensembles like "The White House" and "The Newsroom," or "The Social Network," "Moneyball," and "Steve Jobs." Such film biographies are quite successful. Now, Alan Sorkin has made his directorial debut, Molly's Game, which is also based on the biography of a real person. Being a writer and director allows Alan Sorkin to better implement his creative ideas, but the same type of biography as the previous screenwriter works also shows a little limitation. Even if you are good at it, it is difficult to break through, and it is not easy to defend. In "Jasmine's Game", Alan Sorkin used a very dramatic technique to weave real stories together, and portrayed Jasmine Bloom, known as the "Poker Princess", as a talented, independent and self-improving woman. Although there are shadows, setbacks, and absurdities, these have also become the nutrients for her growth and success, and the combination of rigidity and softness improves her image. The film consists of three main parts. In addition to the "Jasmine Game", there are also "prequels" of family growth stories, and "postquels" of interactions with lawyers and courts to deal with and characterize the aftermath. In the "prequel", the family did not become Jasmine's capital, but instead became her burden. Her strict psychologist father, two younger brothers who were better than her, and her mother, who was hurt by her father, all put pressure on her. Whether it's true or not, this kind of routine that takes the family as the starting point of the character's suppression is really used too much in various works. Whether it is the form or the content, it's not special, but it's a bit cliché to be strict with a father and a daughter. On Jasmine's personal side, she really had a story to tell. Molly used to be a skier, good but not the best. She was injured and fell and ranked third in North America, but she still didn't make it to the Olympics. "The worst thing in the sports world is the fourth place in the Olympic Games" (Jasmine did not participate in the Olympics), the cruelty of competitive sports and the realistic theory of success and failure, also clearly acted on Jasmine. The film also cites the example of Matthew Robinson running behind Jesse Owens, who became a legend and Robinson who became a janitor. It's not that Jasmine isn't good enough, it's that she's unlucky, and there are people who are better than her. Such an endorsement method still needs to highlight the "special among the not special" and win sympathy for the characters. In fact, Jasmine did not sink because of the end of her skiing career. She was admitted to Harvard Law School, and a bright future was waiting for her. She chose the "poker game" not because she was desperate to grab a straw, but because it was quick and easy to make money that way. In the latter part of the film, there is a scene where Jasmine and her father meet and get up again after falling and getting injured at the ski resort. The intention and effect are real. It's both clear and boring. The part of "Jasmine's Game" includes Jasmine's struggle, as well as celebrity gossip and gamblers. She was bullied by the original boss, she was used and abandoned; she treated gamblers sincerely and often persuaded them to quit (she spared no effort when recruiting "big fish"); The head of the bureau is in conflict; she just wants to make money by tipping, and the commission is a last resort when she can't make ends meet; she has nothing to do with Russian gangsters, and is threatened by them; she abuses drugs, and that's because Too busy and too tired... In the film's narrative, Jasmine is not just a "poker princess", but almost a "gambling saint". She is in the game, but she has her own principles and persistence, and she will never compromise. She just found a way to make a living and did it well. The performance of the film is also very exaggerated, and some ignore the reality for the sake of effect, such as the scene where the commission is charged. The commission, which involves the interests of everyone, should be clearly stated in advance. How could it be possible to suddenly tap two chips in the middle of the game and put them away as a tacit understanding? The names of celebrities mentioned by Jasmine in her autobiography are all people who have already been disclosed. Even if gossip can make money and attract attention, she still has to abide by her professional ethics. Of course, there are two sides to professional ethics, both for others and for yourself. Offending people is not a good thing. The film is more cautious in this regard, essentially omitting all true information. But it's not interesting to say anything, so there is that striking "player" It's not like what a judge would say, but it's what many people like to hear, and Alan Sorkin will tell you. Jasmine Bloom, is a smart person (looking at her photos, I dare not say that she is also a beauty, it is her request to have a model worker play the role), a person who is good at sociability and seizes opportunities. Her gambling career is also a legend, and if it is dealt with in a criminal, black way, I may be very satisfied. But as it is now, Alan Sorkin's handling of it as a positive image of an amazingly successful woman is rather awkward. Although the technique is skilled, it is inevitably cliché, and it is obvious that it is very "playful". Of course, for Alan Sorkin, there may be his limits. To shoot Jasmine's biography, of course, the content must be approved by Jasmine herself. For a screenwriter who is adapting a biography, the final character image may not be the most important thing. How to achieve this result and how to reflect his screenwriting technique is the center of his work. So there is such a "Jasmine Game". (Welcome to pay attention to the film critic public account "Noiwed on Wednesday")
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