Moneyball

      I really enjoy a good, uplifting, inspirational sports movie.  If it’s based on a true story, which most of them are, that is even better.  I am not a huge sports fan in the general sense, but I like the uplifting stories that can come out of any situation.  When I first heard about Moneyball (2011) there was really no question about it, I was going to see this movie. 
     Moneyball is the true story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane.  I would have to say that one of the first things that surprised me about this movie is how recent the story actually is.  It takes place in 2001. Interesting fact, the movie is based on the book written by Michael Lewis who also wrote The Blind Side (2009).
     Brad Pitt (Troy, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Fight Club, Legends of the Fall) plays Billy Beane. He did a pretty good job, I enjoyed his performance. One of my favorite scenes of his was when he first meets Peter Brand. Billy sits on the edge of Peter’s desk and asks “Who are you?” You get to see a bit of this scene in the trailer but the whole scene was great.  Peter is played by Jonah Hill (Superbad, Knocked Up, Get Him to the Greek, The Sitter)  He was my only hesitation for watching the movie.  I do not like Jonah Hill’s movies. However, he really won me over in this role.  He did such a great job.  Does that mean I am a fan of his now?  No Way! But he was really good in Moneyball. 
      This is kind of what some may call a slow movie.  I have even heard it called a spots documentary. I would agree with that.  Sometimes in sports movies the games are the big action, intense parts.  That really wasn’t the case with Moneyball.  It focuses more on the strategy and a whole new approach to putting together a winning team.  As I mentioned I am not a huge sports fan. I don’t know names, follow rankings or anything.  I don’t know if a team is any good or not.  I know nothing about money and how that works in the sports industry.  So, you could say that Moneyball was  a bit of an educational film for me.  I learned so much! I think that is why I found this movie so fascinating.  The way players are traded, just gone, expected to move or whatever.  The relationship between the general manager and the manager was very interesting. First of all the fact that they called him the manager and not the coach was new to me.  Secondly I had no idea the role a general manager played.  The way Billy chooses to deal with his scouting staff was very fascinating as well.  Like I said, very educational for me. I like that, when I can learn something new.