At first glance, Moneyball will ignite interest among Brad Pitt fans. On second glance, it will turn some away because of its baseball subject matter. Sports films are an acquired taste and will never fully convert those who are not into the sport in question. Therefore, as one of the latter, Moneyball is a real eye opener, and not because it suddenly stirs a dormant interest in the sport, but because the baseball could be argued as being the parallel theme to the overriding one of the ‘little guy’ taking on and shaking up the system from within. In this sense, there is something to be gained from it.

It’s based on the true story of Billy Beane (Pitt), the once would-be baseball superstar who still hurts from his failure to live up to expectations on the field and turns to baseball management. It’s nearly the start of 2002 season, and Billy’s small-market Oakland Athletics (the A’s) have lost their star players to the bigger, wealthier clubs. Billy must rebuild the team and compete on a third of the payroll. He discovers and hires whizzkid, Yale-educated economist Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) who believes in Bill James’ computer-driven statistical analysis to win games, previously ignored by the baseball establishment. Together they challenge the old baseball guard by installing overlooked or dismissed baseball players, based on a combination of key skills, and begin winning several games in a row.

Moneyball plays out much like any other baseball film but with a couple of narrative twists. Even though you don’t necessarily need to know anything about baseball, naturally, Moneyball will have a greater impact on someone who does possess the historical and factual elements of the game. It’s essentially an inspirational David verses Goliath film, a topical corporate shakedown story that anyone can relate to in this day and age, and it’s all down to the Pitt-Hill chemistry that keeps you engaged.

As co-producer and star, Pitt takes on by far his biggest film challenge yet with Beane and shaping this story to appeal to a wide-ranging audience. He is as courageous as his dynamic and daring character that’s the film’s driving tour de force. Pitt is strikingly reminiscent of a younger Redford and his gutsy turn in the 1984 baseball film, The Natural. Everything really hinges on Beane’s actions and reactions that keep things scintillating to watch, with Hill as Brand as the ‘voice of reason’ in the corner in a straighter stance, much like his character Cyrus in the 2010 film. In fact, Hill again demonstrates that taking on the straighter-laced roles where he can diffuse the tense with intelligent, deadpan humour input is his true acting forte.

Thankfully, Pitt’s infectious energy transcends the wordy baseball mumbo jumbo, and the passion that all involved feels for the game shines through. Part of this is the sense that both you and the characters are venturing into the unknown and want to see change in an unbalanced system. The script glosses over the ones and zeros and endless charts of the analysis and manages to make a coherent narrative out of Michael Lewis’ complex book “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game”. Again, this is down to the winning onscreen team of Pitt and Hill, but more so because of award-winning The Social Network writer Aaron Sorkin being part of the scriptwriting team.

Capote director Bennett Miller turns to his muse, Philip Seymour Hoffman, to portray the stubborn face of the old system by casting the actor as Art Howe, the A’s team coach. Although against the statistical invasion of the game, Howe is delivered a chance to know what it feels like to succeed against all adversity, with the A’s winning 20 games in a row, which broke an actual AL record in 2002. As an underdog himself with little say in his team’s makeup, Howe begins to appreciate how the ‘misfit toys’ – as the players are called – can have their glory, and it’s spiritually uplifting to watch.

Thankfully, Miller does not take the conventional, backslapping route at the end, and throws up a few satisfying surprises where his lead character is involved. Sadly, the system wins, which admittedly does have the sense of defeated purpose. However, Moneyball has to be taken as one of those films where the journey is more important than the end result, and it’s one of guts, determination and sporadic humour. Full credit to Pitt, too, for creating an ingenious and unorthodox career-defining role for himself at this stage in his varied career.

***½~ (3.5/5)

Every once in a while, a brilliant sports film comes along that has all the elements of success going for it, and this first TV spot from LatinoReview.com definitely suggests that Moneyball will be the next one to succeed.

Adapted from the book by Michael Lewis of the same name, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, Moneyball is led by Brad Pitt and also stars Jonah Hill, Robin Wright, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The TV spot is probably the most inspirational 30 seconds of footage I’ve seen in a while, and it reminds me of those other great sports films that have come before it. In my opinion, good sports films are few and far between, but when they do come, they are excellent. Some might criticise them for their often formulaic nature, but when they’re made so well, it doesn’t much matter to me.

In the same vein as great sports films like Remember the Titans, Coach Carter, and last year’s Academy Award-winning The Fighter, Moneyball tells the story of an underdog that tries to go against the conventions of the system:

“Based on a true story, “Moneyball” is a movie for anybody who has ever dreamed of taking on the system. Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s and the guy who assembles the team, who has an epiphany: all of baseball’s conventional wisdom is wrong. Forced to reinvent his team on a tight budget, Beane will have to outsmart the richer clubs. The onetime jock teams with Ivy League grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) in an unlikely partnership, recruiting bargain players that the scouts call flawed, but all of whom have an ability to get on base, score runs, and win games. It’s more than baseball, it’s a revolution – one that challenges old school traditions and puts Beane in the crosshairs of those who say he’s tearing out the heart and soul of the game.”

Directed by Bennett Miller, who earned a Best Director Oscar nomination for Capote, on which he worked with Hoffman, Moneyball has been scripted by two exceptional Oscar-winning writers, Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Zaillian’s credits include Schindler’s List, Gangs of New York, American Gangster, and the upcoming The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake. Sorkin’s credits most notably include creating and writing the TV series The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and has more recently returned to film with last year’s critically acclaimed, The Social Network.

If you’ve seen any episodes of The West Wing, you’ll know that few do inspiration like Sorkin does, and Moneyball is definitely shaping up to be a great inspirational feel-good film. I’m a big fan of everything Brad Pitt does, and I can’t wait to see him take the lead on this. The first trailer for the film was released last month, and this first TV spot follows it up nicely, with a release date scheduled for 4th November this year. Without further ado, here it is.

Here’s the second trailer for Sandra Bullock’s new movie ‘The Blind Side’ (first here). I’m such a wimp but I can’t help but well up every time I watch this sort of movie where it’s the poor, under-privileged kid being taken in by the well-off mum – especially when it’s a true story. Man, it gets me every time!

It’s directed by John Lee Hancock and also stars Quinton Aaron, Kathy Bates, Lily Collins, Tim McGraw and is based on the book by Michael Lewis.

Synopsis: Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, is taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher’s presence in the Touhys’ lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.