Review of Moneyball (2011) by Kevin P — 28 Feb 2018

Strengths: If you ever read the book this was based on, you'd wonder how someone ever adapted it to film. It just doesn't read like something that could transition, but the writing team did a masterful job with it. It's some of the best work by Aaron Sorkin, which is saying something. It's not just a baseball movie either, as anyone who appreciate an underdog can get behind it. Brad Pitt (Billy Beane) is excellent in one of his more grounded roles. He brings a realness to the role and dominates the screen whenever he's on it. Jonah Hill (Peter Brand) is good in his role, as are Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Art Howe) and Chris Pratt (Scott Hatteberg). The baseball scenes that we get are beautifully shot and they give you just enough to keep you interested. The off the field stuff is never boring, even when they're just sitting around talking about scouting players. They also did a great job inserting pieces of Billy's past and home life, to give the character more depth. It was also never done to the point where it felt overly long or took away from the main plot.

Weaknesses: It's hard to find any. I guess the final scenes do feel to go on longer than you'd expect. Just when you feel the film is wrapping up, the trip to Boston and stuff after can certainly drag a bit.

Overall: An incredible film. The acting, writing, and cinematography are all great. There's a well-told story that everyone can relate to, while still being great for baseball fans. Outstanding work that turns out to be the best baseball move in history.