Very entertaining, and a pleasant surprise

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2011)

I tend to watch the films about sports with some reluctance, because that is not a subject I am interested in, and as a consequence, I do not know many things about it. So, if a film deepens too much into the rules or History of some sport, it is more difficult for me to "plunge" myself into its narrative. And that is exactly what I was afraid of before watching Moneyball, not only because it deals with baseball (a sport I do not know practically anything about), but also because it is focused on its coldest and most inaccessible part: the statistics, the negotiations and the insides of the management of a professional team. To my surprise, the film ended up being very entertaining, perfectly accessible and even emotive.
The subject Moneyball deals with might sound dry, but co-screenwriters Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian expertly combined the intellectual aspect from the story with the emotions of the classic sport story, in which a "loser" is ready to face unimaginable obstacles in order to reach the triumph...or at least trying it. The fact that the story is developed in meeting rooms, locker rooms and offices does not make it less interesting, even though director Bennett Miller certainly knew how to offer us some tense moments during decisive baseball matches.
However, there are a few moments in Moneyball which feel a bit longer than they should during the very beginning. Nevertheless, the movie improves when Jonah Hill comes into scene, and his excellent chemistry with Brad Pitt takes the control of the narrative. Pitt himself brings a sincere and detailed performance, avoiding unnecessary sentimentality, but credibly expressing emotion whenever it is necessary. Philip Seymour Hoffman is perfect as the pragmatic trainer Art Howe, while Kerris Dorsey brings an adequate performance as the main character's daughter and Chris Pratt is quite funny in his role.
In conclusion, I do not think Moneyball is a great movie, but I surprisingly liked it pretty much. My favorite film about baseball keeps being A League of Their Own, but that does not avoid me from recommending Moneyball as a very competent sports drama, which is well written, solidly acted and presents the adequate balance of suspense, emotion and drama in order to leave us satisfied.