Moneyball

UK Release Date: 25 November 2011

Certification: 12A

Director: Bennett Miller

Cast: Stephen Bishop, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ken Medlock, Brad Pitt, Chris Pratt, Robin Wright

Rating: 93%

"It's hard not to get romantic about Baseball."

Review:

Moneyball has absolutely everything I look for in a sports movie. And whilst Moneyball is one of my favourite sports movie of all time it's more than that. The movie's got heart, an endearing underdog story and a fantastic central performance from Brad Pitt. 

Speaking of Brad Pitt, regardless of his iconic and legendary filmography - that includes movies such as Se7en and Fight Club - this is the best performance of his career in my opinion. He's cocky and nonchalant as general manager Billy Beane but somehow captivating. I'm not quite sure how he, or the movie in general, didn't win a single academy award despite the six nominations.  The chemistry between Pitt and Jonah Hill is outstanding. The two of them bounce off each other in a surprisingly good partnership. You can feel Philip Seymour Hoffman's class when he's on screen and Chris Pratt also delivers the highlight performance of his career. 

Although I'd seen Moneyball before, I received Michael Lewis' excellent novel of the same name for Christmas and have been reading it for the past month. And reading the book really adds to the magic of the movie. I see Chris Pratt when I see Scott Hatteberg's name, I see Jonah Hill when I see Paul DePodesta's name (changed to Peter Brandt for the movie) and most notably I see Brad Pitt when I see Billy Beane's name. Every actor embodies their character perfectly. 

I don't watch baseball or even understand every aspect of the game but the movie isn't about baseball. Aaron Sorkin's superb script and Bennet Miller's unique direction combine to create an exceptional drama that demands your attention from minute one. I don't even remember why or when but I started crying at one point during the movie's runtime which is a testament to just how good the script really is.  

Mychael Danna's uplifting score is often overlooked when discussing Moneyball. 'It's a Process' is a beautiful piece that represents the true themes of Moneyball. And 'The Mighty Rio Grande' is a repetitive song that is subtly spread throughout the movie which swells to a tremendous outcome. 

Personally, I didn't feel the storyline with Billy Beane and his daughter was really necessary but apart from that I cannot recommend Moneyball enough.