MONEYBALL

Rating 4 out of 5

Sports films more often than not feature inspiring and crowd pleasing stories of underdog athletes beating the odds and becoming part of their given sport’s history books. Numbers and statistics have always been part of the game, with many viewers using stats to boost their predictions on winners and which players to draft in their fantasy league. But using those same numbers and statistics as not only the focus of a film, but as a strategy to create a winning baseball team out of a bunch of misfit players? It’s practically unheard of, but that is the focus of Moneyball, the 2011 Best Picture nominee starring Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, who redefined the draft process in baseball by utilizing stats. Finding undervalued players with strong statistical probabilities to build a winning baseball team in hopes taking home the World Series title, Moneyball may not be your traditional true story sports film even if Beane embodies that underdog spirit trying to manage a team with limited resources, but with Aaron Sorkin’s riveting dialogue and the ever charming Pitt in the lead role, there is no denying that Moneyball delivers what audiences have come to love of the sports genre.

There is an undeniable energy that a Sorkin screenplay brings to a film, with his punchy and quick paced dialogue, and when his rewrites are present in Moneyball, the film is at its best. Sorkin’s dialogue makes all the trade negotiations, statistical breakdown and business management of Billy Beane an enticing experience, creating a truly exciting film about a subject matter that would otherwise be a dull watch. While the story is centered around baseball, the film shows very little gameplay and instead lets the business management take centre stage, helping to deliver a very different sports film than what audiences are used to. But even with that, there is still the rousing sense of excitement throughout as Beane and Peter Brand build their team and move further into the season climbing the ranking board that captures what audiences love about a good true story sports drama. The only thing that does not offer much to the story is the constant flashbacks to Beane’s younger years as a baseball player, that despite helping to build Beane as an individual in the film for the audience and provide context for the way he bases his decisions on as a general manager, these flashbacks  do not connect enough thematically with the present day storyline in the moment they are used, causing the film’s pacing to slightly drag at times.

Pitt has always been a true movie star, with an infectious charm and magnetic screen presence, and his performance in Moneyball is no deviation from that standard. His natural smug attitude fuels Beane’s determination to defy the common practice in the draft process, bringing a scrappy and persistent demeanor to the film that makes Beane a noble fighter, striving for greatness as he champions a new approach to management and team building within baseball. With this, Pitt creates some great humorous moments as Beane clashes with other management members of the Oakland Athletics or as he plays other team managers to get what he is truly looking for with trades, highlighting Beane’s belief in what he is doing and creating the inspirational underdog for the audience to root for throughout the film. With an effortless coolness and passion for the sport, Pitt carries the entirety of Moneyball on his shoulders as he spiritedly revels in the mastery of Sorkin’s dialogue and makes phone calls and draft deals about players the audience will never see in the film a riveting experience from start to finish, delivering what is arguably one of his better performances of his entire career. 

Before Moneyball, Hill had mostly done comedic roles but his performance as Brand displayed untapped potential from him as an actor. With a collected timidness and high intelligence, Hill not only made Brand an intriguing young man with a unique point of view on what a valuable player is, but breakout of the type casting that had defined his career up to this point. As a pairing, Pitt and Hill are excellent, playing off each other’s wit and energy and creating a camaraderie that becomes the beating heart of the film as their characters venture into the unknown with their plan and redefine the game of baseball. The supporting cast is strong with talents like Robin Wright, Chris Pratt and Philip Seymour Hoffman, notably Pratt as who brings a sincerity and vulnerability to Scott Hatteberg with his notable comedic skills, but there is no stealing the spotlight from Pitt and Hill who make for a truly unforgettable and dynamic screen pairing.

While Moneyball may have more in common with The Social Network than compared to classic baseball movies such as Field of Dreams and A League of Their Own due to Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay and the unique baseball story on display, the film still manages to romanticize the sport in a way that will no doubt win over both die hard baseball fans and the more casual viewer who loves a good sports drama. Billy Beane broke all the established rules of drafting players and creating a winning team in 2002 with the Oakland Athletics, and under the talented direction of Bennett Miller, Moneyball captures that magic on screen thanks to a great Aaron Sorkin screenplay and the leading performances of Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill to deliver a unique and rousing true story sports drama for all to enjoy.