Two hours of dry shoptalk with Pitt on auto-pilot

Rating: 5/10 (3 January 2012)

Moneyball is a slow moving chamber room film about the administrative and strategic aspects of baseball. Does it sound dry to you? Then you'll probably think it is. It's very down to earth, almost minimalistic in a sense, just lacking the emotional strength. Nothing is exaggerated, all the scenes are like normal everyday conversations.
The acting style, particularly from the bit players is a mix between aping after documentaries/filmed real life conversations and the some poor TV networks drama of the week. The acting isn't exactly bad, it's just unmemorable and lacking strength. Jonah Hill is the only one here who gives a relatively good performance. Brad Pitt just seems like he's on auto-pilot and Philip Seymour Hoffman, who's barely even in the film, just blends into the background.
The structure is fairly simple, it's basically all shoptalk, and relatively uninspired shoptalk at that, as Brad Pitt move from meeting to meeting. I think it's biggest weakness is the rather emotional score, which seems a tad sappy and banal. It seems to want to make up for the otherwise dry and unemotional business aspects, and takes every tiny opportunity to insert a tear in someones eyes.
In a way I respect it, because it must have been really hard to get this movie made, but it just doesn't manage to be as good as it potentially could have been. It far from bad mind it. It's more than competently directed, it's Capote helmer Bennett Miller after all, and all the aspects are more or less decent. It even contains a few rather good scenes, which shows that they could have gotten it on the right track. So yes, I'm slightly disappointed. At high hopes for this. Won't write off Bennett Miller yet though. He could still have a great career in front of him. And it was nice to see Jonah Hill do well in a nice, toned down and quiet role. 5/10.