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Each fall, Hollywood presents at least one big inspirational sports movie—a Secretariat or The Blind Side to tug at audiences’ heartstrings and make them stand up and cheer. The bigger the stars, the more buzz it gets—and it doesn’t get much bigger than the buzz for Brad Pitt’s big baseball movie, Moneyball.
Pitt stars as Billy Beane, the general manager of the financially-strapped Oakland A’s. After a disappointing postseason loss in 2001, Beane finds himself losing all of his best players to bigger teams with bigger budgets. As he looks ahead to another off-season of scouting and bargaining—trying to put together the best team that very little money can buy—he meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a young Yale economics graduate who suggests a different approach.
Using facts, figures, and computer software, Beane and Brand create a team of has-beens, misfits, and troublemakers—much to the chagrin of the team’s scouts and disgruntled manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman). At first, it seems that their plan will fail miserably—until, with a little bit of encouragement from a typically hands-off GM, the players start to turn their luck around.
Like most inspirational sports movies, Moneyball follows a tried-and-true formula, guiding viewers through the emotional roller-coaster of soul-crushing lows and record-breaking highs that was the A’s 2002 season. Still, it isn’t as much about the team as a whole as it is about Beane and his journey. The film often flashes back to Beane’s own disappointing professional baseball career, which seems to have led to a personal understanding of the imperfections of the league’s traditional scouting methods. Meanwhile, as the season plays out, the story seems to connect the team’s confidence in their own abilities to Beane’s confidence and involvement in their growth.
Throughout the ups and downs of the season, Pitt’s Beane makes a likeable hero. Despite his desperation—and the pressures of his job—he remains easy-going and even optimistic, only losing his cool once (and when he does, you’ll definitely pay attention). He’s just the kind of guy that you’d expect to find running a baseball team—and the kind of guy that you’ll enjoy spending a couple of hours with.
Of course, Pitt isn’t the Hollywood pretty-boy that he once was. No longer a 20-something heartthrob, the 47-year-old star is definitely showing his age. But, as an actor, he’s aging gracefully—and, throughout the film, you’ll often be struck by the uncanny resemblance, in both appearance and style, to Robert Redford.
At the same time, though, Pitt is surrounded by a convincing cast—from Hoffman as the team’s insubordinate manager to Chris Pratt, who plays nervous catcher turned first baseman Scott Hatteberg. Even Hill, who sometimes feels rather awkwardly cast, brings some comic relief while playing his usual goofy, overweight sidekick.
Moneyball is sure to be a grand slam for baseball fans—but, even if you don’t know your RBI from your ERA, you’ll still appreciate the depth and drama of this effectively uplifting, character-driven sports story about a couple of guys who brought our beloved national pastime into the digital age.
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