Moneyball is a great tale of America's favorite past time with a lot of laughs, lessons and most importantly- heart.

Rating: Null/10 (25 September 2011)

I have to admit, when I first heard about Moneyball I wasn't jumping for joy, or over excited to see it. You see being on the opposite end of the spectrum of a die-hard baseball fan, who wants nothing more than to be in the stands, cheering for their team while, munching on peanuts and hot dogs- -this was just another movie. I thought it was another movie about an underdog sports team who was down and out, but rose to the occasion like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. We've all seen those kinds of movies, the feel good movies that touch your heart and have you leaving the theater believing you can conquer the world. However, shame on me for being quick to judge, because once I sat in that cozy theater chair, I learned the true story of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) and the Oakland A's. I guess you can kind of look at this movie as a modern day Rudy, but don't make the mistake I made and think you know how it all unfolds, because there is so much more. Like any great coming of age type story, Moneyball has lessons, laughs, and most importantly- heart. In a film directed by Bennett Miller and produced by Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, and Brad Pitt, the screenplay written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin is brilliantly brought to life and they all do an awesome job of explaining how scouting works, how trade negotiations are done, and basically the overall workings of America's favorite past time. Set in the 2002 baseball season, the Oakland A's, considered a small market team loses their star players, Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi when they sign contracts worth millions of dollars with other teams. That's a huge hit against the team, so now it's up to the A's general manager, amazingly played by Brad Pitt, to find two star players to replace them, with basically pennies to negotiate with. Capturing his spirit and essence as Billy Beane, Brad Pitt puts on an amazing performance as the once major league player turned general manager, who's main duty is to make it work when all the odds are stacked up against them. From his edgy hot headed moments, to his impeccable comedic timing in many scenes with the character Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), Brad Pitt proved once again why he is considered one of the best. And if you ask me, it also doesn't hurt that he's not bad to look at. Now, back to Peter Brand, Jonah Hill's character; I know a lot of you may be thinking, who is Peter Brand? Well, he's a key part to the equation. He was known as Billy Beane's right hand man who's a brainy, number-crunching, Yale-educated economist. Not giving us the usual over the top and in your face funny, the once chubby actor, Jonah Hill dug deep and channeled something totally different in this role. Don't get me wrong, he definitely brought the funny as the supportive side kick, but it was cleverly understated. Driven to win and basically change the game of baseball Pitt as Billy Beane not only shows his heart in scenes with his daughter, but also in scenes with the players. He risked it all and gave his team a fighting chance by taking on the system and thinking outside the box to do it. With the dough of a third string team, Bean and Brand decide to trust the numbers and more importantly trust each other, so they went after players overlooked and dismissed by the rest of baseball because they're too old, too injured, too odd, or just too much trouble. However, they all have undervalued and key skills that make for a great success story. Probably much like the real characters, Pitt and Hill were there so much for each other as actors, at times it felt much like watching the dynamic duo--Batman and Robin (I'm pretty sure you can guess who's Batman). Just even taking the chance to go against the norm in baseball and do things differently brings forth many antagonists, especially from the A's coach played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. But even through the trials, Beane's mission to change the game of baseball as we've always known it, not only did just that, but it also changed him. In the end, the 133 minutes of the PG-13 movie left me, the least interested person in baseball, wanting more.