It’s a very unfair comparison because the two films have almost nothing in common, but Moneyball is very similar to The Social Network in a lot of ways. They both came around a little before the award season started swinging, both are quite bit of buzz to them, but most importantly their approach to the subject matter is different than just its surface reflection. Where the Social Network was a movie about Mark Zuckerberg that just had Facebook as a fuel to get going, Moneyball is about Billy Beane and how he viewed the game of baseball rather than the game itself. It has a few moments just like its trailer, where it wows you, but simply falls short of matching The Social Network in most ways.
Billy Beane struggling to put together a winning team with a severe lack of money is a tale of unbalanced sides. On one hand you get a natural semi-slow pace of a man going against a wave of criticism to do what he feels is necessary to win. This is when the film is at its best because it has that great musical score playing while Billy Beane battles himself in whether this scheme is as crazy as it looks. The dramatic tone and underdog scenario helped you want him to succeed while enjoying the successes of risk. What the film struggled with most was its comedic light-hearted approach the rest of the film took. Can the film be funny? Yes, but it didn’t feel quite right with its subject matter. I didn’t come and see Moneyball to laugh; I came to see the struggles Billy Beane placed upon the game of baseball. It just felt so out of place, yet is heard in most scenes. That tone seemed overshadowed a lot of the positive notes the film established and dirve the momentum of seriousness into the ground.
Despite some distaste I have for most of this film, Brad Pitt makes it work. As Billy Beane, he shows all the signs of a former player who struggled to live up to the lofty expectations placed upon him and use it as the key motivation behind trying to change this game of baseball. His struggles are relayed back to you through subtle moments of just Pitt gazing onto the field. These tiny moments are when the film is at its best. Now I have no idea why they decided to cast Jonah Hill in this film, but he doesn’t do much. He has a bit of his past roles shown here, but for the most part he checks down his annoying habits and just acts. It’s nothing to praise, but something could have been a disaster didn’t end up biting them in their ass. As for some of the cameos, they were fun to watch as a baseball fan, but meaningless to the average movie watcher.
As disappointing as the film was for me, I don’t really have a hard time recommending it because my expectations were far too unreachable when I look back upon them. It’s a decent baseball movie that focuses on an intriguing character that has enough layers to them to keep you entertained all the way through. It won’t be on any best of lists this year, but I can see this having a spot among many favorites lists for many others. Give this a watch if you were already planning to see, but if it wasn’t give it some thought to add to your list.
Overall Score: 7/10
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