Movie Reaction: Moneyball

Formula:
Major League without all those side stories about the players.

Spoiler Alert: They don't make the playoffs.

If you are a baseball fan, you already knew this. If you didn't read the book, you only have yourself to blame. If you haven't already seen the movie, it's been two weeks. You weren't going to see it.

Cast
You have Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and, well, I guess Phillip Seymour Hoffman's in it some. Chris Pratt's there a little too. Really, you have Brad Pitt for 90% of it and Jonah Hill's there a lot. Brad Pitt does a very good job, though I'm not sure I see any room for Oscar buzz for the performance, but what do I know? Still chubby Jonah Hill is pretty good too. Nothing dazzling, but it's nice to see any of the Apatow crew break into and dramatic features and not fall on their face doing it.

Plot
This is very Brad Pitt-centric. Unlike most Baseball movies I've seen (or sports movies), there wasn't much focus on side-stories of the players as they develop. There's a very singular focus on Billy Beane and his story. It's done well and it shows the different elements of his life: job, family, past, short introspective moments while he's driving. You stay entertained the whole way through, and they do a good job of editing the events to play out in a very cinematic way.

Based on a True Story
Since this is all about actual events, nothing goes as it would in a fictional feature. The team is never in dead-last for the season. There is no watershed moment that turns the season around. They don't win the World Series as the scrappy underdogs. They do what they can with the material available. Also, it was only 2002. Not that long ago. So, they can't overplay any of the events.
In short, the story is limited by the truth, but makes good use of it.

Weaknesses
It's a baseball movie, which means if you don't like baseball, it won't change you mind. Also, there is a major overstatedness of the importance of what was done in the movie. Anyone that knows baseball will be a little annoyed by how largely it claims moneyball changed the game. And, anyone who doesn't know baseball (like me) will erroneously see every baseball management strategy as being moneyball.

In the end, it is the kind of movie that will make a lot of critics' top ten lists but will top none of them.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend