Moneyball (2011) - There are Rich Teams! There are Poor Teams! Then there's 50 Feet of Crap! Then there's us!

Rating: 10/10 (17 January 2012)

Since I have an interest in the sport of baseball, and I hear that "Moneyball" is one of the best movies of 2011, I obviously had to check out this movie! I know it may be difficult to make a movie about a baseball team that never made the big game, but the way this movie was made proved that the theory is wrong. From the super well acting to the incredible writing, "Moneyball" is one of 2011's best films. Based on a popular novel of the same name, "Moneyball" follows the true story of the Oakland Athletics baseball team during the 2002 season, and general manager Billy Beane, portrayed brilliantly by Brad Pitt, makes attempts to assemble a more competitive team. With the help of a GM college graduate, portrayed by Jonah Hill, Billy Beane must hit the numbers and face with the most unfavorable financial situation, to take a sophisticated approach towards analyzing players, which all leads to making an American League record. Brad Pitt delivers one of the best performances of his career as Billy Beane, and I hope he gets total Oscar consideration for his work in the film. I enjoyed the way Pitt brought Billy Beane to the screen, and he steals the whole movie easily. Jonah Hill, who has just lost a lot of weight, delivers some fine sequences as the GM Yale economics graduate Peter Brand, and there may be a good chance for some Oscar buzz. Philip Seymour Hoffman also delivers excellent work playing the Athletics' manager, Art Howe. But I just wished that this guy should have received more screen time. Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, and Stan Chervin writes one of the best, well-written scripts ever put on paper. They deliver sharp dialogue, smart characters, and perfect writing material. Director Bennett Miller knows how to make a baseball movie that focuses more on the characters. I was just distracted on the many moments that make this movie so fun to watch. There are scenes that show impressive flashbacks of Billy Beane as a child baseball star, and the moments with him and his daughter are touching. The characters are sharp and memorable, the script is super well-written, and the whole movie is just super fun to watch. This movie also has some light-hearted laughs, and some heartwarming moments. I honestly hope that this movie gets nominated for a few Oscars. "Moneyball" is a well-written, well-acted, and well-directed biographical sports drama that really stole my attention from beginning to end. I love this movie so much, and this is one of the best of 2011. "Moneyball", in my review, "a well-written underdog baseball story".