Review of Moneyball (2011) by Adrian Z — 22 Dec 2012

Never followed baseball, but this film turns out to be a captivating underdog story. Loosing team Oakland A's GM Billy Bean (Pitt) turns to economics whiz kid (Hill) who has figured out a statistics based system for putting baseball teams together on a shoestring budget.

Brad Pitt is solid in the lead, and Hill in full-on awkward mode is a joy to watch, providing much of the comic relief for the movie. Smart, crisp screenplay by Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin (what a terrific team-up of writers!), and director Miller thankfully never resorts to schmaltz to be uplifting.

The only regret is that I would have liked to see more ballpark action to understand more about how the Oakland A's games were played as opposed to how baseball was normally played, we get some glimpses and very condensed set pieces instead.

That said, the interest the film sparks for the game speaks well for the passion for the game that sits behind it, and that's quiet an accomplishment.