Molly's Game
Molly Bloom, a young skier and former Olympic hopeful becomes a successful entrepreneur (and a target of an FBI investigation) when she establishes a high-stakes, international poker game.
Working with a moderate budget of $30.0M, the film achieved a respectable showing with $59.3M in global revenue (+98% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Molly's Game (2017) showcases meticulously timed plot construction, characteristic of Aaron Sorkin's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 10-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 20 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.1, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Molly Bloom narrates her skiing accident at age 12, establishing her driven, perfectionist nature and her need to prove herself to her demanding father. We see her world of elite athletic competition and relentless self-discipline.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when FBI agents arrest Molly in her apartment with guns drawn. Her carefully constructed life is shattered in an instant. This present-day event disrupts the status quo and sets the narrative frame for examining how she got here.. At 10% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The Collapse moment at 104 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Molly is brutally beaten by the Russian mafia in her own apartment for not paying extortion money. Lying beaten and alone on her floor represents the "whiff of death" - her self-reliance has nearly killed her. Everything she built through isolation and control is destroyed., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 111 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. The trial finale. Charlie argues brilliantly for Molly, emphasizing her integrity in not naming names. The judge recognizes her character. Molly stands up for herself while also accepting help from her lawyer and family. She faces consequences but on her own terms, with dignity and community rather than isolation., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Molly's Game's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 10 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Molly's Game against these established plot points, we can identify how Aaron Sorkin utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Molly's Game within the drama genre.
Aaron Sorkin's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Aaron Sorkin films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.7, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Molly's Game takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Aaron Sorkin filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Aaron Sorkin analyses, see The Trial of the Chicago 7.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Molly Bloom narrates her skiing accident at age 12, establishing her driven, perfectionist nature and her need to prove herself to her demanding father. We see her world of elite athletic competition and relentless self-discipline.
Theme
Molly's father tells her during a session: "You don't know what you're capable of." This line establishes the thematic question: What is true capability? Is it pure self-reliance or includes vulnerability and connection?
Worldbuilding
Cross-cut between present day (Molly arrested by FBI) and flashbacks establishing her world. We learn about her Olympic skiing dreams, the catastrophic crash that ended her career, her move to LA, and how she stumbled into running poker games for the wealthy. Introduces her intelligence, work ethic, and need for control.
Disruption
FBI agents arrest Molly in her apartment with guns drawn. Her carefully constructed life is shattered in an instant. This present-day event disrupts the status quo and sets the narrative frame for examining how she got here.
Resistance
Molly searches for legal representation but is rejected by multiple lawyers who won't take her case without a retainer she can't afford. She debates her options and resists admitting she needs help. Finally meets Charlie Jaffey, a principled lawyer who initially refuses her case but is intrigued by her intelligence and story.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
The "promise of the premise" - we explore the glamorous world of high-stakes poker. Flashbacks show Molly building her empire: learning the game, attracting A-list players, outsmarting powerful men, making millions. We see her brilliance and fearlessness, but also her growing isolation and refusal to trust anyone. Present-day scenes show Charlie investigating her case.
Opposition
Everything tightens. The Italian mafia wants in on her game. Player X betrays her. She loses her reputation and her games. Her addiction worsens. In present day, the prosecution builds their case and pressure mounts. Charlie discovers she's protecting the players and won't name names, which could send her to prison.
Collapse
Molly is brutally beaten by the Russian mafia in her own apartment for not paying extortion money. Lying beaten and alone on her floor represents the "whiff of death" - her self-reliance has nearly killed her. Everything she built through isolation and control is destroyed.
Crisis
Molly faces the darkness of her choices. In present day, she processes the reality that she may go to prison. She confronts why she's protected the players who abandoned her and begins to understand her need to prove something to her father drove her to destructive isolation.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
The trial finale. Charlie argues brilliantly for Molly, emphasizing her integrity in not naming names. The judge recognizes her character. Molly stands up for herself while also accepting help from her lawyer and family. She faces consequences but on her own terms, with dignity and community rather than isolation.