Moneyball (2011)

Best movie of this year hands down!

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The movie, like so many other things in this world, is about how being in the right place at the right time, if you are lucky and more importantly if someone likes you, well, then you can rise and make gobs and gobs of money being a mediocre entity. In this case, a player that was at the pro level because he is liked and probably, there because the team's were short handed and/or desperate. So fast forward, this guy is a minority owner and executive for being a double A level, if that, athlete, and in baseball in the 80s, so he was much of an athlete and they make a movie about him and now, this "former player" is doing as well if not better than all the star athletes when he played and he was a double A player. Unbelievable. No championship, ever and again (and this is why the world loves and hates this country) a person, not even at the mid level of playing or managing, but at the low , low levels and should not even have been in the majors makes GREAT. Again we reward mediocrity and the funny thing is he was below "mediocrity" and still sits pretty. You got guys like Scotty Bowman and Mario Lemieux and others in all sports at the top, top 2 percent ever, and don't even get a mention much less a movie about them I get so tired of guys like this, doing nothing for society, and they get all the praise. So tired of it. The movie is ok. Thanks for reading.? God Bless James P.S. And since he was GM till this movie, how many championship wins the Yankees have and how many championships , four, and if you count 1996, five. And the red Sox have how many, two, from 1996 till 2010 or 2011 (this movie) and how many championships did the A's get, oh NONE. STOP REWARDING MEDIOCRITY, PLEASE. This movie, about him, should not have been made!!!

"Moneyball" isn't the typical sports film in which an outcast lead character with the odds stacked against him manages to be victorious in the end. It's a film where, like almost everything in life, the main focus is one and how our world revolves around it. Baseball is an American classic, and with Bennett Miller's interesting and strong film about a failing baseball team in the MLB, we see the politics and business behind this classic game. Brad Pitt gives a great performance who has great on-screen charisma and a euphoric chemistry with Jonah Hill. Pitt does a good job of not overdoing the emotional aspects of his character, yet showing a heart behind his snark attitude. "Moneyball" is a different look at baseball and one that delivers a different and delightful story.

(Originally reviewed: 24/02/2017) Brad Pitt is one of my favourite actors; and I have seen many great performances from him; and his role as Billy Beane in Moneyball is perhaps a contender for second best after his portrayal of Tyler Durden in Fight Club of course. I do not follow baseball but I found the entire story a breath of fresh air; each scene is invigorating, the acting compelling and the plot always compelling. The supporting performances are very good too; Jonah Hill (Peter) is stunning as Beane's Analyst/assistant; he disappears into character and stays likable throughout. There were many good performances in the picture and here's a few more among it; Philip Seymour Hoffman (Art the coach), Robin Wright (Sharon), Kerris Dorsey (Casey Beane) and Chris Pratt (Scott/player) who was surprisingly decent for a change.Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin's screenplay is excellent, the film is exceptionally well written, Bennet Miller's direction is very good and the film never drags; I felt immersed in the story, fully engaged within every scene and always compelled to find out the outcome. There's a tremendous scene where Pitt's character refuses to watch his own team play; and without saying anything; his emotions are transparent, noticeable and show that this is a man who just wants to win for a change; There's quite a few complex scenes like this where you just see Billy Beane sitting there and reflecting on things and there far from dull; there simply brilliant. Moneyball is a great sports drama and one with two Oscar worthy performances from Pitt and Hill and one that is without a doubt one of the best films of 2011.

I hate sports, I really do but I love movies and this one peaked my interest and I decided to watch it and I was thoroughly impressed by what I saw. The filmmakers To a really good job of making you care about the success of The Oakland Athletics because they take the time to show you just how bad a state they are in. They also take the time to build the characters so that you understand how important it is for them to succeed. Brad Pitt was fantastic in this film not only did he have some really great one liners but he had a great heart to him you felt sorry for him through seeing his last failings and I really loved his chemistry with Jonah Hill who was also great in this film up until The Wolf of Wall Street this was his best performance ever, I loved his character because he was easy to relate to, that new kid quality does that and I thought Hill did a great job with some of the more emotional scenes. The baseball scenes are filmed terrifically there done in a very documentation style which makes them feel more life like. The relationship between Pitt and his daughter was a really nice touch it made you care more about him and gave you a sense of who he was as a person not just a manager. I liked the fact that they made this film feel real, you completely understand how bad the odds are against this new system, you see them be put down, get angry at defeats and face dismissal and it makes you care all the more about this team succeeding. The late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman was in this movie and he did a great job, I really liked his character he didn't agree with this system and it let you get the series of events from the players perspective and added a more personal touch to the games. I do have a few flaws with this film, for one Chris Pratts character was very wasted, at first it seemed as if they were setting up a good arc for his character but they don't give it the time required to make you care and just ends up being unnecessary. I also thought that they should have taken the time to see the teams success instead of simply shown it in a montage as it didn't give the victories any emotional weight and was an unsatisfactory conclusion to such a good story arc. Despite hating sports I really enjoyed this movie, I loved Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, you really got invested in the characters and the team and the sporting sequences themselves were very well done. 84%/A-