Is Molly's Game on Netflix based on a true story? Explained

Molly's Game is a biographical film that is available to stream on Netflix. The story revolves around Molly Bloom, a former professional skier who runs a highly successful underground poker game before getting caught by federal agents. Its gripping storyline has made many movie enthusiasts question if it's based on a true story.

Yes, Molly's Game is based on the true story of Molly Bloom. The movie is based on a memoir penned by Bloom herself and boasts the same title. Director and writer Aaron Sorkin not only used the memoir as a basis for the movie's plot but also consulted real-life Molly Bloom while making the film.

Bloom is portrayed by Jessica Chastain. Her performance in the role bagged her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.

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Molly's Game: The inspiration behind the movie

Jessica Chastain plays Molly Bloom (Image via Getty)

Molly Bloom is a former freestyle skier who was eyeing the chance to compete at the Olympics. She made it to the US ski team but failed to qualify for the Olympics. Bloom also had a back injury and an emergency back surgery at the age of 12. Forced to give up competitive skiing, Bloom moved to Los Angeles to take a gap year between undergrad and supposedly joining law school.

While in L.A., she worked as a waitress and then as an executive assistant to a real estate entrepreneur. He was also the co-owner of a Hollywood nightclub that ran a poker game. Once, her boss told to her to help him run the game. Bloom used a combination of multiple Google searches and her research to understand how to play and manage the game.

The poker game was played by A-list actors, Wall Street titans, billionaires, politicians, and famous personas.

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Bloom said:

"I had a cheese plate and my cutest outfit, and I walked into this room, and it was incredible. I recognized in that instant that this is not an opportunity that a girl from small town Colorado gets."

After being fired from her job, Bloom took her contacts from years of running her boss’ poker games to start an underground one of her own. She told Ellen in the same interview above that her high-stakes game initially started with a buy-in of $10,000 and ultimately became $250,000.

While Molly's Game on Netflix doesn't name the celebrities who played in her game; her memoir lists celebrities who had already been mentioned by the media.

While the film closely follows Bloom's actual life, it does take some small creative liberties. For example, in the movie, the games take place at a nightclub called The Cobra Lounge but in reality, they took place at The Viper Room in West Hollywood. Idris Elba's character, Charlie Jaffey, is a fictional character created by Sorkin. Jaffey is Bloom's on-screen lawyer. In real life, Bloom was represented by Jim Walden.

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A brief synopsis of Molly's Game

The official synopsis of Molly's Game on Netflix reads:

"A former Olympic skier begins running a high-stakes, ultra-exclusive underground poker game that catches the attention of the FBI. Based on a true story."

Besides Chastain and Elba, Molly's Game stars Kevin Costner as Larry Bloom (her father), Michael Cera as Player X (an A-list actor), Jeremy Strong as Dean Keith, and Chris O'Dowd as Douglas Downey. It has a run time of two hours and 20 minutes.

The movie is available to stream on Netflix.