Moneyball

After a six year hiatus, director Bennett Miller returns to the movies after his 2005 film, Best Picture nominee Capote with Moneyball, the true story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane trying to change the game of baseball from a system that has worked for over a century to a system based on statistics and economics rather than buying the best player at each position.

The real story, if you follow baseball, you already know (or if you don't can easily find the details), but the outcome is far from being the entire focus of the film. The moral centre of this story is the two men, Billy Beane and Peter Brand (based on Paul DePodesta and changed for the film due to legal reasons) trying to do something that most people wouldn't have even dared to try.

The trailer sells it as sort of a typical underdog sports story, but trailers seldom portray things in a 100% accurate light. That's not to say it isn't in part, an underdog story, but  it's not a "worst to first" situation either. It's
shown as more of an underperforming team and Beane and Brand's solution to having to deal with a small budget in a world of $100 million team payrolls. The atmosphere of the film feels a lot like The Social Network did, which coincidentally was also written by Sorkin. For a drama the film is also surprisingly funny, in more than just certain comic relief spots. I suppose that can actually be credited to Sorkin, who I think is always masterful with dialogue.

Pitt is superb in the lead role and a character you sympathize with in his struggles to keep his job while at the same time trying to put forward an idea almost no one believes in. Oscar season is only just starting, but a Best Actor nomination wouldn't shock me. The Academy loves this type of film, so that doesn't hurt either. Hill is the shining star here in a lot of cases. I've never disliked him, but his previous roles always showcased him as sort of a one-trick-pony. This role will, if nothing else, legitimize his career as an actor. I've seen other critics saying he could get Awards or nominations. I'm not sure if he will, but it certainly wouldn't be the most outlandish thing I've seen and wouldn't be undeserved. If he can get some more serious roles and do just as well without playing off of superstars such as Pitt or Hoffman then I think he can cement his status as a solid actor.

With The Social Network, people were asking "Will I care about this if I don't care about Facebook?" and the answer seemed to be yes from most people. I could see someone saying the same thing about Moneyball and baseball, and I think the answer is the same for the most part, but it definitely is more invested in the baseball part of the story than The Social Network was with Facebook. I think it's one of the best films of the year and overall I still think it can be enjoyed if you don't follow the sport, as it's in a large way simply about life lessons and making the choices you believe in, regardless of how much opposition you face.

Moneyball is released this Friday in the US, with the UK release following on November 25th.