Moneyball

            Baseball is in the air so naturally I decided to review one of my favorite sports films ever, Moneyball. Moneyball features maybe my favorite screenplay ever, written by the legendary Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin has a wide array of terrific screenplays, but this one just might be his magnum opus. The screenplay itself is flawless, but I think what truly makes it as good as it is would be the way in which it is delivered, which just would not be possible if they had not gotten every single casting in this film just right. Brad Pitt was absolutely the right man for the job of portraying Billy Beane, and Jonah Hill came into this film and just absolutely shocked everyone with his fantastic acting ability, proving that he was more than a one-dimensional actor, and getting nominated for an Academy Award in the process.

Moneyball is a simple enough story. It follows the events of the 2002 MLB season, particularly the season of the Oakland Athletics, the poorest team in the league. Billy Beane, the team’s general manager, is tasked with putting together a competitive team on a low budget, after three of their top stars have left to go sign with other teams because Oakland could not afford them. Beane becomes intrigued by an individual by the name of Peter Brand, played by Jonah Hill, who introduces Beane to sabermetrics, and together with this knowledge, they set out to put together a team using these knew statistics to stay within their budget, but still remain competitive. From there, the film just follows along the ups and downs of the season, and you get to see the relationships between the players and Beane develop, as well as Beane and Brand. You also get a good glimpse into who Beane is as a person and what motivates him to make the decisions that he makes. Pitt plays this character perfectly. He is charming, strong, confident, and stern. Beane is notorious for not wanting to get close to players so that he can still make all of the tough decisions, such as releasing and trading players if necessary, and Pitt handles these emptions well not just in his words, but in his demeanor. Jonah Hill is also a true star in this film. He is elegant, brilliant, and handles the awkwardness and enthusiasm of his character well. He really does turn his career around with this film, as many thought that he would be typecast into comedy roles for his whole career. The rest of the cast was also chosen well. Chris Pratt, the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Stephen Bishop all play their roles well.

This film just has a great pace to it. The transitions are great, and the runtime is not overly long. The music is also a great addition, in particular the use of “The Mighty Rio Grande” during the player scouting scene. For those that may stay away from the film due to the fact that you are not into baseball, I would not necessarily call this a baseball film. Rather, this is a terrific drama that just happens to feature baseball. That being said, this film might still be boring to some, and that is just normal when it comes to different genres in film. As far as dramas go, though, this one is truly up there with the best. It has some terrific scenes, as well as some great emotions on display. I highly recommend it. Official Rating: 4 Stars.

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