A fantastic movie about leadership and the drive to follow through on your beliefs

Rating: 8/10 (26 April 2012)

Rarely does a movie come along about sports that is as insightful and moving as Moneyball. I am a sporting fanatic, not so much a baseball but I maintain a significant interest in a number of other individual and team sports.
However I found it very easy to connect with this film, not only because of it's sporting background, but more than anything because of it's characters and their very real and well told stories.
Bennett Miller brings to life an incredible story of men who having failed in their lives thus far to live up to their potential for one reason or another, are given a second chance to rewrite the script and change their destinies.
It is not a new story and the formula has been applied many times before, however what I liked about the movie was the subtle insights it provided into the way societal fundamentals and norms about commonly accepted approaches can lead to whole industries forming incorrect perceptions about the limitations of individuals and very often teams of individuals comprised of those with these incorrectly perceived limitations in capability.
This can apply to any area of life and not just sports and provides a timely reminder that just because things have always been done a certain way, it does not mean that they should continue to be executed in that same manner. In life, we should examine everything, there are no sacred cows.
The story also demonstrates that with radical change comes strong resistance and one must always have the inner strength and belief to withstand the inevitable criticism that comes when implementing change in order to succeed.
Brad Pitt and Bennett Miller deserve plenty of praise for this film, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a feel-good story with substance.