Moneyball

Remember when the Athletic A's won 20 straight games?

Neither do I. But this is the basis for the movie Moneyball. Brad Pitt stars as Athletic A's General Manager Billy Beane.

Back in the day, Beane was drafted into the Pros right out of High School on the promise that he was going to be one of the greatest ball players in the history of baseball. Alas, this prophecy did not pan out. Beane never grew into the athlete the scouts imagined he would become, and after multiple trades, he became a scout and then GM of the A's.

After losing three of their greatest players to the Yankees, Beane realizes they will never compete with the kind of money teams like New York or Boston are willing to throw around. He visits Cleveland for a possible trade and meets a fresh-from-Yale gradutate, played by Jonah Hill.

Hill's ideas about players and how the stats come into play for scouts intrigues Beane who hires him as his new Assistant.

Of course, their new ways of doing things upsets the veteran scouts and even the team's field manager. (Philip Seymour Hoffman)

How could a bunch of no-namers lead a team to victory?


I was impressed with Jonah Hill. I have grown tired of his kind of comedy so it was refreshing to see him in a semi-serious role next to the always-great Pitt. And Philip Seymour Hoffman can hit any role out of the park.

This is a decent baseball movie. It tacks on the added bonus of being based on actual events. So even though you may know how the movie will end, it's fun to see how things worked out behind the scenes.

The only downside was the length. There were many times I felt it could have ended or, at least, cut out a few scenes to make it not as long. Of course it could have been that I was tired and ready for bed but had to finish the film first...