I like baseball movies. In fact, I just love baseball. This is a baseball story told by a jaded insider. It's made all the more jaded by how often the film goes out of it's way to mention baseball romanticism or how "superstitions" rule all. But the fact of the matter is that this movie probably presents a more accurate understanding of modern professional baseball then we, the casual die-hard fans, would care to know. I thought Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill made an unlikely, but generally appealing tandem. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was wasted on this movie. I'm not exactly sure why he agreed to do it. The most important critical remark I can make about "Moneyball" is that Arron Sorkin really knows how to craft a story. At the beginning of the movie, I didn't understand why there wasn't more focus on the sport, and on the stats. That would have seemed the logical and simpler story-line to follow. But, Arron Sorkin knew better than to make this film a fantasy baseball manager's holy grail, and he was right. I actually liked how the movie worked to establish the truly human element of the game.
Ratings
Fan's of "The Natural": Skip it
Fantasy Baseball Mgrs: See it
Don Quixote: See it
Peter Gammons: Probably saw it
Ken Burns-aphiles: Skip it
On scale of strike em' out, throw 'em out double plays to crazed fan loose in the outfield, I give "Moneyball" 2.8 stars out of 5.
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