Review of Moneyball (2011) by Micah R — 14 Jun 2013

I had high expectations for MONEY BALL. First of all, I recently read Michael Lewis's book THE BIG SHORT, and it was excellent. He has a solid understanding of how statistics dominate so many aspects of contemporary life, particularly in the financial world. So when I heard that he had written a movie about money and statistics in sports, I was eager to see what he would produce. Secondly, I generally like Brad Pitt's movies. He's a fine actor, but that's not really why I like him. I like him because his movies themselves are often excellent. He has a real talent for picking scripts (or at least his agent does). Finally, it's been awhile since I've seen a good baseball movie, and I was hoping this would fill that particular void. Well . . .

MONEY BALL didn't disappoint. This is a very interesting, perfectly paced movie that explores the behind-the-scenes aspect of big league sports. The story is fascinating, the acting is solid, and the script is surprisingly funny. This last achievement was perhaps the most surprising aspect of the film. There are several seemingly effortless comedic moments that are laugh-out-loud funny. I think the weakest parts of the film are the flashbacks that explore Billy Beane's failed career as a player. But they were a minor letdown in an otherwise very enjoyable film. MONEY BALL is a smart, provocative film well worth spending a couple hours with.