Deserves The Praise!

Rating: 9/10 (19 April 2013)

Moneyball is definitely worth all the praise it has been receiving. This is not a baseball film per se but more of a drama that centrals around the Oakland Athletic's General Manager, Billy Beane. This film features great acting, solid direction by Bennett Miller, a well-written screenplay, and a new take on the baseball films which have been done so many times before. Of course there are baseball scenes, but for once we get a look at the realistic portrayal of what happens behind the scenes.
This film, based off the autobiography by Billy Beane himself, is about his 2002 season. After three superstars leave his team to get more money elsewhere, he designs a way to get players based off stats. With everyone calling him crazy including the A's manager, will this stat plan be effective? Brad Pitt is a very good, versatile actor. He certainly displays acting chops and I believed he should have won Best Actor at the Oscars. Jonah Hill takes a turn for the dramatic and perhaps has the best performance of his young career. And of course, Philip Seymour Hoffman is great as always.
Overall, Moneyball has to be one of the greatest baseball films I have seen thanks to the way they filmed it. If they are to make sports films in the future, this is how to do it. It takes away all those clichés we see over and over again. It's good that this film was recognized by the Academy. I rate this film 9/10.