Entertaining film, though it does dodge some issues...

Rating: 9/10 (25 September 2011)

Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill make for a very entertaining, likable dynamic duo, and the character actors they've chosen to fill out the rest of the cast all work great together with the leads.
I question the authenticity of everything that is put on display here, but i do have to admit that this makes for a very entertaining "what if?" look into the world of a General Manager. Are they this impulsive? Are they truly more critical to the operation of a team then a manager is? This film paints the Manager as being a rather useless facade of a position.
I do find it a bit glaring that they don't even mention the fact that the A's had a three-headed monster of Tim Hudson-Barry Zito-Mark Mulder that was unarguably the most dominant pitching trio of that era.
With pitching in baseball, your team ALWAYS has a chance. This movie tries to paint the picture that Oakland didn't stand a prayer after losing Damon, Giambi and Isringhausen. With that pitching trio, they were always in competition.
Also, dodging the Steroid issue and it's importance to Beane's MONEYBALL theoretics is a bit disingenuous.
Still, it is a very entertaining film. Great performances from Pitt and Hill.
I liked the movie. I don't know that it's entirely factual, but it does make for an interesting glimpse into the General Manager's world.