Moneyball (2011) Review

By Jason Haskins

Moneyball is the story of a young analyst teaming up with a down-in-the-dumps manager of the Oakland Athletics in the early 2000s. Their plan? To use statistics and mathematics to determine the best team placements in baseball. Everyone thought they were crazy—everyone was against them from the start—and perhaps they were a bit before their time.

For those who could care less about baseball, this may or may not be a movie for you. The true story of how these guys used computer software to draft players is quite interesting and quasi-exciting, regardless of whether or not you like the sport. It’s one of those universal underdog stories that transgresses genres whether you like the sports picture or not. Deep down this is really a drama hidden behind a baseball premise.

Brad Pitt is looking quite fit (and a little old…), but he plays a character, general manager Billy Beane, that’s semi one-dimensional. Beane is very predictable and unoriginal. Pitt’s ego definitely comes into play here and makes him less likable overall. Jonah Hill is already garnering Oscar buzz for his performance. While it was interesting to see him in a dramatic role (albeit one that has several comedic moments), opposite Pitt he still has some growing to do as an actor.

The movie is mostly well shot using archived footage of the ball games going on whilst the story is happening. I’m sure a lot of diehard baseball fans will dig all of that stuff, as well as the nostalgia surrounding all of these games, but I wasn’t really familiar with the story or any of the ball games in the movie.

I’m not a big baseball buff, but I still found something to enjoy in this movie. It’s well paced and entertaining even for the people who have never watched a game in their life—and that’s where the film succeeds. However, at the end of the day it screams average: in terms of performances, script (dialogue’s truly hokey at times), and blandness relating to the predictability of everything. It may not be one of the most enduring movies of the year or the better ones, but it’s a fun little sports drama most people will enjoy.

3 out of 5