Very well done baseball film

Rating: 10/10 (23 September 2011)

Moneyball is a very well done film about the game of baseball and the challenges that must be overcome in order to win. The film starts with the Oakland A's in the 2001 ALDS (American League Division Series) against the New York Yankees. The A's blew the lead in the series and end up losing. The most talked about subject in the matter is how the Yankees have a huge payroll while the A's have less than $40 million. Now the A;s have lost their star players (Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi, and Jason Isringhausen) to teams with bigger wallets. In the offseason, A's GM Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is talking with his scouts about how they keep talking the same things they have in years past where they are looking for players that are just as good to fill in the voids. After a trade proposal with the Cleveland Indians doesn't work, Beane notices a young man who turns out to know his baseball material named Peter Brant (Jonah Hill). After being impressed by his knowledge, Beane hires Brant to be his assistant. Now it is their mission to find players who are good, competitive, can win games, and be an affordable team to put on the field.
Bennett Miller, whose only other film was 2005's Capote, was an excellent choice to direct this film. Miller knew how to keep a consistent pace. He also did well at making there be a light tone at times, but also be serious about the subject matter. Most importantly, Miller's best work was being able to tell a story as he shows us what Beane is going through at work and in his personal life. He is also great at showing what the team goes through in their triumphs and struggles.
Brad Pitt's best performance is his role in this film as Billy Beane. Pitt does great at showing how Billy Beane works in his struggles at work and at home as he doesn't get to see his daughter that much. Pitt also is great at showing Billy trying to take his mind off of what is happening on the field. Pitt makes Beane into a well-rounded, likable character and proves that he is one of the best living actors out there.
This film also has Jonah Hill's best performance to date as Peter Brant, Billy Beane's assistant. Hill shows that he can do more than play his crazy characters from films like Get Him to the Greek and Superbad. At the same time, Hill is a great comic relief as he helps make the film light in parts. The best part of Hill's performance is how his lines prove that Brant knows what he is talking about.
Philip Seymour Hoffman plays A's manager Art Howe. Hoffman does a good job in this role, but it is not as memorable a role compared to Capote or Freddie Miles in The Talented Mr. Ripley. Hoffman makes some good choices as an actor on this role, as he is working again from an Aaron Sorkin script, and knows what the role required.
As stated Aaron Sorkin, whose work includes A Few Good Men and The Social Network, was one the writers on this script. Sorkin proved again how he can take material that people might not take seriously, turn it into something exciting, and make what the characters have to say be something important.
As a huge baseball fan, this was a treat to watch. If you are not a baseball fan, it is still well worth watching. If you do not know a whole lot about baseball, it is a film that you will find interesting.