Last evening, my movie of choice was “Moneyball.” The movie was written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, based on the novel “Moneyball” by Michael Lewis; and was directed by Bennett Miller. The main stars are Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I decided to see this film because I hadn’t seen a good sports movie in some time, and I had heard that the film received good reviews. It was nominated for six Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor for Brad Pitt, Best Supporting Actor for Jonah Hill, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. The movie was a refreshing change of pace from the typical sports film, and rightfully deserves its nominations.

“Moneyball” is based on a true story, and takes place during the 2002 baseball season. We begin by viewing an obviously distraught man named Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), who has just recently witnessed his team, the Oakland Athletics, lose to the New York Yankees during the 2001 postseason. To make matters worse, three of his best players- Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi, and Jason Isringhausen- are then traded to other teams. With a payroll of only $40,000,000, as opposed to over $100,000,000 for a team such as the Yankees, Beane has just about lost hope in building a successful team for the next season. In comes the young Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), who inspires Beane to try something new- choose players purely based on statistics, specifically on how often the player gets on base. In this way, they would be able to get good players that had often been over-looked by other teams, while at the same time staying within their budget. The two soon form a team that consists of players who, while outwardly seem like “an island of misfit toys,” are actually quite good. Facing opposition on nearly every side from their radical idea, including from the Athletics’s manager Art Howe (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), the two nonetheless remain devoted to their plan, determined to make it work.

“Moneyball” has been referred to as the “Social Network” of sports dramas. It is a similar concept, in that it takes a true story, which does not immediately seem cinematic, and brings it to life. There are almost no elements here that you would typically associate with a sports movie, because it does not focus a great deal on the players, or even on the game itself. In addition, there are only a few moments that bring you to the edge of your seat, hoping that the next player at bat is going to slam one out of the park. Instead, the film focuses on this new idea for recruiting players in baseball, and how the idea is ultimately implemented by Beane and Brand.

Brad Pitt gives one of his career-best performances as Billy Beane, playing the character with what seems like great ease. He expresses Beane’s outward appearance with steadfast confidence, flashing his sly smile even when his ideas are being openly rejected around him. But, inwardly, we get a glimpse of a man who, like all who make tough decisions, doubts himself the most. We feel this the strongest when we observe Beane sitting alone in an empty baseball stadium, holding his head in his hands and asking himself: “What the hell am I doing?” And Jonah Hill, who received his first Academy Award nomination for his role as Peter Brand, has over-stepped the boundary from comedy- which in the past he had shown in films such as “Superbad” and “Knocked Up”– to drama. He rises to the occasion, showing depth in his acting, along with creating great chemistry in his scenes with Brad Pitt.

The film also comments on the sport of baseball in general, and with the traditional methods of scouting and finding players; which is often based on looks and star power, as opposed to math and statistics. An example of how Beane rejects this notion is with his choice of a player named Chad Bradford, who was purposely not picked by teams in the past despite his good record, simply because of his odd sideways pitch. In a Cinderella story, the Oakland Athletics are able to rise up and defeat teams such as the all-powerful and much more wealthy Yankees while using their new method of recruiting players. As Billy Beane tells his partner: “We’re going to change the game.”

One problem I had with the movie is that it is perhaps a bit too lengthy, and at times was slow-moving. There were several scenes that would have been just as effective if they were cut shorter. The flashbacks to Beane’s past as a baseball player were somewhat choppy, and did not add anything particularly meaningful to the film as a whole. In addition, there were several characters that could have been given larger roles, including the manager of the team, Art Howe, and several of the baseball players that were merely touched upon, but not given much room for development.

Overall, though, “Moneyball” is a movie that is worth watching, especially for those that are sports fans. Though it may not leave the viewer with a feeling as inspired as other more formulaic sports films, it still allows us to feel the power and influence of America’s favorite pastime. To quote Billy Beane: “It’s hard not to be romantic about baseball.”