Moneyball (2011)

watched this movie for the 2nd time.. didn't like it the first time.. came in with a different set of expectations.. don't expect a baseball field show or plot twists.. the movie is based on a true story and focuses on Billy Beane's (played by Brad Pitt) struggle.. a financially weak baseball team's general manager on his way to success by following what he believed in.. even if it was totally unconventional.. and for baseball fans, great to go with.

Moneyball's greatest aspects: an adapted screenplay written by Aaron Sorkin, based off of a Michael Lewis book.The film is incredibly well written, with each scene reliving the story of general manager Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) struggling to rebuild an unfortunate, low budget Oakland baseball team. The screenplay allows for excitement and attentiveness, somehow changing a slow moving sport into an enjoyable, dramatic motion picture.The attention to detail throughout the film, like the fit of the baseball pants and the design of the locker room, truly shows the hard work and effort put in by the production crew. Despite the simplicity of baseball uniforms relative to usual film attire, the costume design for Moneyball is still impressive. The well designed set for the baseball team's locker room and offices allows for long shots through hallways that show characters' moods and general ambiance.Additionally, the film crew did a fantastic job of understanding and breaking down the data-oriented system that is used in baseball today to rate players. Director Bennett Miller successfully delivers comprehensive scenes to teach the audience about this complicated concept, all the while incorporating drama and baseball action into the film.Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are both fantastic in Moneyball. Both of them grow into their characters extremely well, and the film successfully manages to get the audience to become attached to them. Brad Pitt wonderfully depicts inner frustration and pain on the screen, all the while smiling externally to his character's coworkers and family. His performance is further enhanced by the personalities of his supporting cast, specifically Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman.Director of Photography Wally Pfister has a great sense for a scene's look and feel, and he proves that to us throughout the film. For a baseball movie, Pfister shoots scenes with aspects of ingenuity and reality, sometimes shooting scenes the way a person would view a baseball game through their TV. His use of both natural light and artificial light is nicely done — specifically, Pfister's shots tend to have certain lights turned off, whether in a room or in a stadium, to project a dramatic feel onto the scene.Additionally, the editing was superb. By going back and forth between the 2001/2002 baseball video montages with the film footage, the film is able to tie together 2001/2002's exciting commentary with slow motion pitches and swings.Ultimately, Moneyball is able to successfully fulfill and translate the beautifully written story told by Michael Lewis.

(Originally reviewed: 24/02/2017) Brad Pitt is one of my favourite actors; and I have seen many great performances from him; and his role as Billy Beane in Moneyball is perhaps a contender for second best after his portrayal of Tyler Durden in Fight Club of course. I do not follow baseball but I found the entire story a breath of fresh air; each scene is invigorating, the acting compelling and the plot always compelling. The supporting performances are very good too; Jonah Hill (Peter) is stunning as Beane's Analyst/assistant; he disappears into character and stays likable throughout. There were many good performances in the picture and here's a few more among it; Philip Seymour Hoffman (Art the coach), Robin Wright (Sharon), Kerris Dorsey (Casey Beane) and Chris Pratt (Scott/player) who was surprisingly decent for a change.Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin's screenplay is excellent, the film is exceptionally well written, Bennet Miller's direction is very good and the film never drags; I felt immersed in the story, fully engaged within every scene and always compelled to find out the outcome. There's a tremendous scene where Pitt's character refuses to watch his own team play; and without saying anything; his emotions are transparent, noticeable and show that this is a man who just wants to win for a change; There's quite a few complex scenes like this where you just see Billy Beane sitting there and reflecting on things and there far from dull; there simply brilliant. Moneyball is a great sports drama and one with two Oscar worthy performances from Pitt and Hill and one that is without a doubt one of the best films of 2011.

I hate sports, I really do but I love movies and this one peaked my interest and I decided to watch it and I was thoroughly impressed by what I saw. The filmmakers To a really good job of making you care about the success of The Oakland Athletics because they take the time to show you just how bad a state they are in. They also take the time to build the characters so that you understand how important it is for them to succeed. Brad Pitt was fantastic in this film not only did he have some really great one liners but he had a great heart to him you felt sorry for him through seeing his last failings and I really loved his chemistry with Jonah Hill who was also great in this film up until The Wolf of Wall Street this was his best performance ever, I loved his character because he was easy to relate to, that new kid quality does that and I thought Hill did a great job with some of the more emotional scenes. The baseball scenes are filmed terrifically there done in a very documentation style which makes them feel more life like. The relationship between Pitt and his daughter was a really nice touch it made you care more about him and gave you a sense of who he was as a person not just a manager. I liked the fact that they made this film feel real, you completely understand how bad the odds are against this new system, you see them be put down, get angry at defeats and face dismissal and it makes you care all the more about this team succeeding. The late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman was in this movie and he did a great job, I really liked his character he didn't agree with this system and it let you get the series of events from the players perspective and added a more personal touch to the games. I do have a few flaws with this film, for one Chris Pratts character was very wasted, at first it seemed as if they were setting up a good arc for his character but they don't give it the time required to make you care and just ends up being unnecessary. I also thought that they should have taken the time to see the teams success instead of simply shown it in a montage as it didn't give the victories any emotional weight and was an unsatisfactory conclusion to such a good story arc. Despite hating sports I really enjoyed this movie, I loved Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, you really got invested in the characters and the team and the sporting sequences themselves were very well done. 84%/A-