Movie Review - Moneyball

Just in time for the Oscars, I finished watching Moneyball:  "Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players." (IMDB)  Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill both delivered fine, Oscar nominated performances.  I don't always go out of my way to watch sports movies but I have a few on my shelf, generally because the story is inspirational.  That's what sports does to people - it inspires them.  There is nothing better than seeing the underdog score the winning goal in the last 2 seconds of the game, or fire off a ball over the fence in the bottom of the 9th.  But in Moneyball, irony plays her hand and the main guy never quite wins.  He gets close lots of times, but he never wins.  Instead, others win using his formula that changed the way some look at baseball.

I think Brad deserves his nomination - he gave a really good performance.  I didn't really like his character though.  When the chips were down I never found myself cheering him on to get up.   I can see why his movie wife Robin Wright left him.  I can see why he exasperated those around him.  I never was exactly convinced where his heart was.

Jonah Hill was quite good and I liked him.  He was contained and eventually found his voice when he needed to but there was often a lot said by the expression on his face.  This is his first Oscar nod and I'm glad to see him step out from roles like Knocked Up and Superbad.

I found myself nervous a couple of times in the film because I didn't know how it would pan out.  I even found myself getting out the computer and looking in Wikipedia to read about Billy Beane and this shot in his history - suspense kills me when the story is true.  I have to know what happens.  And if you happen to wonder if I sometimes read the last few pages of a book when I'm only half way through, the answer is yes.  I have to prepare myself for bad news or I look forward to good news.  I have to be put at ease.

I don't think this movie will win Best Picture but it's very enjoyable.  And you don't even have to like baseball or understand it.  It was a bit bothersome to see how players are treated though.  They are traded as easily as bubble gum cards and discarded as thoughtlessly as the wrapper if they don't keep up their standard.  But I love one part in the film where a very overweight player is shown smacking the ball pitched to him.  It was explained that he's usually afraid to run to second, but after that hit, he tries.  He rounds first base and then falls and crawls back to first and owns it.  He won't let go of it.  The first base coach and short stop are laughing and grabbing at him.  What the player doesn't know is that he hit the ball over the fence and they were trying to get him up to finish running the bases to home.  As it was then asked, "How can you not get romantic about baseball?"

The movie is rated PG-13 (M) for low-level language (2 F-bombs and a couple of other words) and content.

As a point of trivia, in the film Brad Pitt's character Billy wears a wedding ring though he is divorced.  This made me wonder if he was still devoted to his ex or something.  Actually though, Billy got remarried but you never see his second wife.

So do you have any favorite sports films?  If you saw Moneyball, what was your opinion of the movie?

Let's talk movies and don't forget the popcorn!