I’m not a sports fan.  Never have been. I don’t have the rhythm for it.  Ironically, I love sport films.  The underdog stories of a team overcoming the odds then conquering or learning a great lesson is the joy of movies.  Luckily for viewers MONEYBALL, the new baseball film starring Brad Pitt, has both.

Pitt is Billy Beane, a former pro baseball player turned general manager of the Oakland Athletics.  MONEYBALL tells the story of the phenomenal success of the underfunded Oakland A’s, climaxing with their winning 20 consecutive games.   For this to happen, Billy Beane took on years of tradition and risked his career to prove that finding great players is more than just good looks, decent behavior and talent.  To provide assistance with this way of thinking is Peter Brand, played by Jonah Hill.  Brand is a Yale graduate who believes that the statistical numbers of a player don’t lie.  Together they power through the stats of baseball players offering contracts regardless of pitching form, age, or gambling vices.

MONEYBALL was a swing-for-the-fences masterpiece that conveyed a part of baseball history that all will enjoy.  I was taken aback that I had no clue that this actually happened and at how well the actors portrayed the struggle, desperation, and gamble it takes to play when the odds aren’t in the team’s favor.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film.  Laughing at a few points but was given that “goose bumps” feeling overall.  I love true stories, especially stories that I can corroborate. Billy Beane is still the general manager for the Oakland A’s.  Peter Brand is a fictional character, but based on Paul DePodesta, a current vice president for the New York Mets.   MONEYBALL entertained, educated, and engulfed me, accomplishing the task that every film should strive for.

The Oakland A’s did not win The Pennant that year.  Some think that it was Beane’s fault for trying to win a game by playing numbers.  However, stats don’t lie. The numbers don’t always tell the measure of the man but they’re an indicator of what he is capable of.  Nonetheless thinking outside the box involves more than numbers.  It takes bravery.

I like it when people take on tradition.  Nothing proclaims more confidence than when a person goes against the norm no matter the cost. With a perfect combination of movie screenplay and historical material, MONEYBALL was a calculated victory on screen.

Related posts:

1. FILM REVIEW: Asiana International Short Film Festival – (Competition Films) The passion for film usually starts at a young age....
2. Film Review: REAL STEEL Have you ever underestimated a film?  You saw the trailer...
3. Film Review: THE THREE MUSKETEERS Paul W.S. Anderson is continuing his action movie trend with...
4. FILM REVIEW: Immortals I understand that we’re in show business.  That Greek mythology...
5. Film Review: PUNCH (WANDEUKI – 완득이) Personally, I’ve always been a fan of coming of age...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.