Keeps You Enthralled By The Heart Put Into This Film

Rating: 9/10 (6 August 2012)

Year in and year out, I always get a lump in my throat when I see a sports underdog story about a team or player who must claw and scratch their way to insurmountable odds to be the best that they can be. Sure they're inspiring and heartfelt in its intentions, it seems like it follows on a routine outline that has been emulated over and over and offers anything new to the story. And granted "Moneyball" doesn't attempt anything new to the underdog sports story, but it's execution to the phenomenon from a contrasting perspective. Based on the non-fiction novel by Michael Lewis as we are more inspired by the business side of the baseball industry contrary to the facets of the game itself. Which to me is new and curiously refreshing. Award nominated director Bennett Miller collaborates with script writing giants Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian to bring to us one of the least tearful and melancholy baseball films since "Major League II". "Moneyball" tells the actual events that transpired in 2002 when Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) almost resurrected this franchise from the dead with the supportive usage of computer statistics and analysis. Sure it's not really a high-strung story, but this was a major milestone in baseball history and why not bring it to the big screen.
"Moneyball" makes noise about the unfortunate unfairness that was manifesting in the baseball industry as franchise giants like the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees can dominate the MLB by acquiring the big name stars and conjuring up the most wins. When Oakland started losing their top ranked stars, the team was out scurrying for suitable replacements. Breaking away from the traditional negotiations, Beane hires a Yale graduate Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) who found a potential loophole in the attempt to find new players. by examining statistics to get undervalued players a chance to have their well-deserved moment to shine. So Mr. Beane recruits a group of highly unlikely superstars that looked like they had a snowball's chance in the microwave to break out of their eleven game losing streak including the manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who always contradicted everything that Beane sets out to do. At first the team becomes the laughing stock of the MLB as fans continually chastise at Beane and all of his intentions of regrouping. But as things start to unravel, a monumental milestone starts to take shape.
Pitt plays Beane as a man who truly cares about his team and Pitt like Beane plays his respected performance by heart. Oblivious at first, we look first hand at how he defies his own beliefs at being an invaluable commodity in the franchise. The flashbacks in the movie and his moments with his daughter we see a man who practically eats, breathes and sleeps the sport of baseball. Johah Hill plays a pivotal role as a guy who possesses a original methodical approach to rectify a team from the doldrums to winning 20 consecutive victories Hill was in excellent form and the chemistry between him and Pitt was quite flawless. Hoffman played a small role but still every effective and right on the moneymaker. Even the ragtag team of players were not just a bunch of one-dimensional caricatures, they played ball like they played the sport for years. This movie had it all, a brilliant script, a compelling subject, well-oiled performances, and the tearful moments are minimal By looking into the business side of baseball in contrast to the actual sport, "Moneyball" is a one of a kind unique. It's where understanding the game exceeds from just the love of the game. This is one diamond of a film you should check out.