Review of Moneyball (2011) by Drlowdon — 20 Dec 2020

Having lost to the New York Yankees in the 2001 American League Division Series, and with the impending departure of several star players Johnny, Oakland Athletic’s general manager Billy Beane needs to assemble a competitive team for 2002 with Oakland's limited budget. Following a chance meeting with Peter Brand, a young Yale economics graduate, Beane adopts a sabermetrics approach selecting players based on their on-base percentage rather than the usual scouting methods.

Although it is based on a true story Moneyball certainly takes a few ‘Hollywood’ liberties with the source material, much to the annoyance of some of those involved in the real life events apparently! Largely thanks to Brad Pitt’s on screen charm however, this still makes for an entertaining enough movie even for those of us with limited knowledge of baseball.