From the writers of The Social Network and Schindler's List, Moneyball offers an inside look at the game of baseball and how one man envisioned running an under-financed baseball team. Featuring performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman as well as Robin Wright.
Set in the early 2000's, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is the manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team. They have just lost an important game to the New York Yankees and Billy decides to drop three top players from the team and use a new system of recruiting players based on their playing statistics. He is accompanied by the number savvy Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), who he hires as the assistant GM for the team. There is the main problem of the team's financial situation that hinders them from buying out all the top players, making it nearly impossible for such a team to win the biggest prize in baseball. So these two set out to show that recruiting based on player statistics is the new way to produce a winning team even if a team may not have as much money to spend. Will they be able to win everyone over in the end or will the game never be fair for the financially struggling baseball teams?
During the course of the movie, we see flashbacks of Billy when he was younger and how he got offered to play on a pro baseball team. It didn't work out for him so he decided to become a scout instead. He is torn apart by these thoughts and we see his anguish at the fact that he is neither successful as a player or a manager. The acting by Brad Pitt is superb and watching an interview with him, it turns out he doesn't know very much about the game of baseball; just showing how well he played the role of a man who knows everything about the game. Jonah Hill brings bits of comedy to the table as the smart Yale graduate Peter Brand, and the combination of him and Pitt made for one of the most exciting movie scenes in recent years. The unforgettable scene when Billy and Pete were trading players with a dynamical energy, extended beyond the screen with its quick and witty dialogue and kept the audience on their toes until the end. One long gasp was my reply to that adrenaline filled rollercoaster ride.
The film features many moments that were aired on TV at the time of the team's historic winning streak as well as player analysis videos that will be a real treat for baseball and sports fans. Bringing back memories of the team's historic streak of winning 20 games in a row despite having no star players ultimately didn't matter, but it made a strong impression on the experts and fans of the game.
There are many important messages conveyed through this amazing story of teamwork, sacrifice, and revelation. The situation of being an underdog and trying to bring yourself up from the dust to be in the winner's circle is something that many people are striving for whether they are athletes or regular working men or women. Risks and making choices is all part of the equation, and sometimes breaking the rules may be your ticket for success. Billy and Pete proved that winning in baseball doesn't matter by how much money the budget of a team is, it's how you use it and what possibilities or results might arise from it. This lesson can also be put to use by any company or even a regular family. If there is a limit on something whether it's money or not, efficiency is the best target for a favorable result.
I found the relationship between Billy and his daughter Casey (played by the lovely Kerris Dorsey) to be very touching, and the song that she played for him was sort of a diversion from all the madness that he had to go through to produce a winning team. She was his great supporter and showed him that there is more to life than a baseball field and the happiness or sorrow that it holds.
My advice to you is to go see this phenomenal masterpiece that is sure to get Brad Pitt at least an Oscar nomination for his role and hopefully many more award wins for the film itself. What are you waiting for? See it now!
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