Good fun for baseball/time travel fanatics!

Rating: 8/10 (17 January 2012)

Pleasant enough, this film works well as Pitt brilliantly portrays Oakland A's GM Billy Beane in his ongoing futile quest to put together a championship baseball team despite having a lower tier budget to work from. Realizing he can't afford Jason (Mekka Lekka Hi-Mekka Hiney Ho) Giambi or Johnny Damon, Beane turns to a naive but portly young Yale grad, Peter Brand, ably played by Jonah Hill, to pick players for him. Brand's unconventional method is based on fancy-schmancy computer modeling which predicts that bargain basement has-beens like Scott Hatteburg can be effective ballplayers based on their willingness to reach base by walking often or taking-one-for-the-team. The whole madcap situation worsens as Beane's scouting staff and head coach refuse to get on board. (BTW - DO check out Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of A's manager Art Howee in a patented Don Zimmeresque "manager's cut" uniform!) Beane's many managerial worries are compounded by haunting memories of his own failed major league career and his young daughter's unexplained yet prodigious ability to sing and play pop songs on her guitar that will neither be written nor become popular for at least 6 years in the future. This film is well worth watching for any baseball/mythical time-travel fanatic.... Loved it!