"Moneyball": Great for Baseball and Movie Fans Alike

Rating: Null/10 (24 September 2011)

Rating: 4 out of Fordyce (perfect) By Jim Fordyce AmericanEntertainmentReport.com Sept. 24, 2011 7:31 am EDT
Chat it up everyone, "Moneyball" is a really good movie. Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A's and the guy who rejects baseball's conventional wisdom after he is forced to rebuild the Athletics on a tight budget. He teams with Ivy League grad Peter Brand, played by Jonah Hill, in an unlikely partnership, recruiting bargain players that make the scouts cringe. We watch as this story takes some predictable and unpredictable turns. Pitt and Hill are both perfect in their roles, as is the amazing Philip Seymour Hoffman in another one of his spot-on character roles as manager Art Howe. The insiders know I am not a big fan of sports movies and usually get offended when people say things like it isn't a sports movie, it is a people movie, a movie with a message, an inspiring tale or some other such cr*p. I won't even buy that this time. It is a sports movie pure and simple, but a great one that tells a well-crafted story based on true incidents. It holds your interest and is well produced. This is also a movie where many of us know how it ends. I remember the A's winning streak in '02 and everything else about that amazing season. In the tradition of "Apollo 13," which is another great movie, in "Moneyball" we know the ending, yet the writers, producers and directors keep us right on the edge of our seats. That edge earns "Moneyball" a perfect 4 out of Fordyce. Credit Check: Nothing happens after the credits roll.