A New Way To Think

Rating: 10/10 (11 March 2017)

I've been a baseball fan for the better part of two decades. As such, I vividly remember the events surrounding the 2002 Oakland Athletics that are the prime content of this film. "Moneyball" does an incredible job of recreating the nostalgia of those events, as well as telling the story behind them that likely was not known at the time.
For a basic plot summary, "Moneyball" focuses on the character of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the GM of the Oakland A's who realizes in the early 2000s that he can't spend with the "big boys" (e.g. New York) that comprised his competition. As such, with the help of Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) and to the consternation of A's manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Beane uses the statistical analyses popularized by Bill James to build a team capable of dethroning the Yankees on a shoestring budget.
The hallmark of this film is that, to the viewer, it really won't matter if you're familiar with this story. The narrative works either way:
If your a newbie to all this "baseball-o-nomics" stuff, "Moneyball" does a great job of breaking things down and giving you the "Reader's Digest" version of the Moneyball concept. You don't even have to be a baseball fan to "get it", as Beane's mindset and principles can be utilized in many walks of life.
For those (like I) who devoured "Moneyball" in print form, it is just flat out amazing to see the events played out on the big screen. Those of us who have been intrigued by the whole concept since those "early years" can sit back and be amazed by how it has truly changed the game. The fact that a great deal of actual baseball footage is used only adds to the effect.
About the only nitpick I can possibly find with this film is that the choreographed baseball scenes are not always entirely accurate. This is a small nitpick, of course, but one that bugged me just a bit considering how easy it would have been to fix.
Overall, "Moneyball" is a fantastic re-telling at perhaps the most revolutionary concept to ever be introduced to the sport...using in-depth statistical analysis to mine for talent that may be lost to the human eye. Whether a hard-core baseball nut or just a casual movie-goer, "Moneyball" will impress you...just in different ways.