Review of Moneyball (2011) by Lauren H — 05 Dec 2012

Moneyball is an inspiring story of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), general manageer of the Oakland A's, bucking the trends in baseball to build a team using a new way to judge talent. He joins up with Peter Brand (Jonas Hill), an Ivy League graduate who uses statistics alone to determine whether a player is good or not. Beane learns the ideas from Brand and uses them to field the Oakland A's using a small budget. The result is that the A's, have a complete turnaround season, make the playoffs and have the longest winning streak in American League history.

One of the things that I liked best about the movie is the adversity Beane faces throughout his trades and acquisitions. Not only are the other teams mocking him but his own scouts and manager oppose his decision making. Yet he sticks to his guns and believes in the system Brand and him have created. Going so far as to trade off some of the players that the manager is playing instead of "his guys." This is pertinent in my life as a Christian in that many of the people I come across, will mock, trample and dispute my beliefs. While it may be a stretch to view this movie as Christian in nature, it certainly brought to my attention the importance in standing up for what you believe in. Billy stands firm in his new found approach to the game and it pays off. Much in the same way that being steadfast in my beliefs as a Christian has made me a stronger person. Our society has so many issues that we are divided on, whether it be moral, economical or political etc, yet we bend our beliefs to fit in. I believe that Jesus Christ has died for me on the cross of Calvary and I need to stand by what I believe. I think that everyone can take from Pitt's character the idea to stay true to a belief system (for me Christianity), and like Billy Beane can do so without being argumentative, disruptive or vicious about doing so.