"Moneyball" For The Win

Whether you're a baseball fan or not, I'm almost positive you'll really enjoy Moneyball.  And if you don't for some reason, I'm sure you'll at least be able to appreciate it as a great work of cinema.  The film starts off showing the 2001 postseason game between the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees.  It's portrayed as if you are watching it through an old, fuzzy television to make it seem more historic.  Although this is just the first few minutes of the film, you immediately start to root for the underdog as you learn just how much more money the Yankees have than a low-budget baseball team like the A's.  I felt a little bad being a Yankee fan, but it didn't alter my love of the pinstripes.  However, it is a very moving film and for 2 hours and 6 minutes I was rooting for Billy Beane's baseball club.

After a very tough loss for the A's (not just the postseason game but also star players like Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon), the general manager, Billy Beane, played by a very funny and emotional Brad Pitt, realizes that he needs to completely restructure his team.  He does so with the help of Peter Brand, wonderfully played by Jonah Hill, who does all the calculations to assemble a brand new ball club.  Together, they focus heavily on players' on base percentage, which upsets the older scouts who Beane has worked with for years.  At first this seems to be a complete failure, but if you know anything about the A's, they end up making baseball history.  

I'm not going to bother summarizing the whole movie.  If you want to know what happened with Billy Beane and the 2002 Oakland Athletics, you could Google it in a heartbeat.  However, if you want to see a fantastic performance by Brad Pitt and the rest of the cast, and see baseball from a powerful emotional perspective, then see Moneyball.  Jonah Hill, although quite funny in this role, further proves he is more than just someone to laugh at on the big screen.  Philip Seymour Hoffman is perfectly cast as Art Howe, the stubborn manager who refuses to test Beane's strategy.  It is also great to see Chris Pratt, from Parks and Recreation, on the big screen.  As for the star, Brad Pitt manages to keep the audience cheering by his side whether he is hilariously making player trades with the help of Jonah Hill, or unleashing his hotheaded fury on players and occasionally objects in his clubhouse as a result of consistent losses.  He is at his best, however, while sharing the screen with Kerris Dorsey, who plays Beane's smart and talented daughter.

Overall, Moneyball is a terrific film.  Many people are calling it The Social Network of baseball movies.  I guess I would agree, not just because this is also written by Aaron Sorkin, but because it is an intelligent and possibly Oscar-worthy motion picture.  But do you have to be a baseball fan to like Moneyball?  I don't think so.  You'll certainly enjoy it a lot more if you are, but either way, Moneyball is a home run.