A docudrama of the most spectacular streak in the history of the sport

Rating: 9/10 (17 June 2012)

I was quite sure of witnessing a sweep in this year's Oscars but didn't anticipate such a snub for a stupendous film on Sports. The Editing, the Sound Mixing deserve Oscars.
Billy Beane is a baseball player-turned-general manager. He is cool-headed and cares for none, not even his players. He is the general manager of a team that trades out the men who performed the best and is left with a new selections to make with the paltry sum of money they have. He finds a really interesting person on his visit to the Tigers' office and hires him. They prepare a list of players who are well within their affordable range but with minor ailments, for which they are often ignored. They get into a heated argument with the scouts and coach over what they call a brazenly audacious move that could further slim down the chances of the team performing well. All the scouts leave the team and Billy is left with the coach, though reluctant to stay for another season, and Peter on his side.
At first, the obvious happens. The team performs miserably. After a few games, Billy Beane changes his attitude towards his players, treats them well, exhorts and edifies them and even trades the ones who have been corrupting the others and the ones who haven't lived up to the expectations and all these bear fruit.
They win one game after the other and the winning streak extends to a record 19 and a chance to re-write history beckons. They win the game, shatter the long-existing record and make it to the playoffs and falter once again. Billy is the subject of scathing remarks and is ridiculed for his adoption of an economics theory to draft players. He is offered the highest emolument by the owner of Red Sox but turns down the offer.
To talk in terms of Baseball, the movie is a 4-run homer: 1- Sorkin's brilliant screenplay. 2- Brad Pitt's and Jonah Hill's acting. 3- Sound Mixing. 4- Film Editing.