Moneyball (2011)

NOTE: Since the film is based off of a true story, I am going to spoil some stuff. Enter at your own risk, my readers. I would like to live in a world where Aaron Sorkin makes a movie every year. So far, we had The Social Network in 2010 and now Moneyball in 2011, if we get another in 2012, I shall be very happy. In all honesty, Aaron Sorkin is the only reason I went out of my way to go see this in the theaters. If not him having co-written the screenplay, I probably would have ended up seeing something like Dream House or Abduction, which, unfortunately, I have to end up watching when the DVD comes out. But that’s neither here nor there. I probably would then just have watched this movie on DVD, regretted that I didn’t see it in the theater, and then bought the DVD. See my opinions on Hanna, Trollhunter, The Beaver, and Everything Must Go for more information. But, long story short, I am very glad that I got to see this wonderful film. Currently, it has nudged its place between Hanna and Trollhunter on my ‘Best of 2011’ list, a place it has earned and deserves. The plot of the film, based on a true story, tells the story of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the manager for the Oaklank A’s in 2001/2002, etc. The Oakland A’s, in 2001, is a terrible team. Just short and sweet. They are downright terrible, and it’s not even their fault. They just don’t have enough money. I would probably eat my own foot for $30 million, but apparently in the baseball world, that is nothing. I quote Brad Pitt-“There are rich teams, and there are poor teams. Then there’s fifty feet of crap. And then there’s us.” But Mr. Beane’s luck begins to change when Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), based off of someone who didn’t want himself to be played by a sweaty, nerdy Jonah Hill (understandable, but still unreasonable), a young, spunky, brilliant Yale graduate, who comes up with a system for finding the best forgotten players in the business, in order to find a winning team, an ‘island of misfit toys’, as they put it. Nobody thought it would work. Not a single soul on the planet other than those two had even the slightest idea that good would come of this. 20 games. The Oakland A’s won 20 consecutive games in 2002, the world record for a baseball winning streak. Amazing. This movie is amazing. Is it as good as The Social Network is? No, of course not. The Social Network deserved Best Picture last year, without a doubt. And I assume greatly that Moneyball is going to be announced this January, as well as Brad Pitt on Best Actor. Jonah Hill for Best Supporting? Not as likely, this really isn’t Jonah’s film, and it’s not an Award-ready character, but if Jonah Hill keeps being smarter than the version of him that’s 10 years older, Seth Rogen, he’ll be making brilliant comedies and quick dramas while Rogen is making the sequel to The Green Hornet. So, in short, the acting in the film is very good. The direction of the film by Bennett Miller, who also directed Capote is very well-done, quiet, quick, and amazing. There is one scene in the film, that is just a flash of different computer shots with the characters talking, and it just works to so much extent. It was one of the best montage sequences in a film this year, coming from a person who HATES montages. And now for the script. Co-written by Aaron Sorkin. I say no more. I want to see another Oscar nod for Sorkin. The script is amazing. In short, I will say once again two more words-Aaron Sorkin.
9.5/10