Very Sorkinesque, Pretty Good

Rating: 8/10 (7 June 2013)

Moneyball is all about Brad Pitt. Because the film ties Billy Beane's journey of self-discovery to that of his sport, and because there's a surprising amount of psychological depth to Beane himself, this film transcends the typical sports film. At the same time, it's a very exciting sports film in and of itself.
The sad thing about professional sports today is that to spectators and players alike are excited by the whole phenomenon up until the point where they lose. This is a film that deals almost exclusively with how to deal with defeat and how victory itself is tenable. That says more about life than much of sports does today.
This is Aaron Sorkin's third movie (Charlie Wilson's War and The Social Network) since making the abysmal television show "Studio 60" and committed every sin imaginable in the TV writer's bible (don't have all the characters sound alike, don't use the show to air out your dirty laundry, try to at least pretend to care about where your story is set, etc.) and he's been using more and more restraint on those Sorkinisms. Occasionally, Sorkin still gets cringe-worthy as in the conversation between scouts about how they shouldn't put in a pitcher with an ugly girlfriend.
Another weakness of Aaron Sorkin seems pretty subverted in Jonah Hill's shy and introverted character of Peter Brand. Unfortunately he drifts a little towards Sorkinish territory towards the end. On my top ten list (which I'm working to rapidly construct a couple weeks later than everyone else), this lands at #2. Not as profound as ambitious as "The Tree of Life" but it's more intense and kinetic than anything else I've seen this year and it marries that intensity to a stronger story than a typical action or sports film