In the world of Major League baseball, The Oakland As are the equivalent of Everton. Top talent bought by big teams and underfunding making it difficult to buy in replacements. The general manager (Brad Pitt) decides a new approach is needed if they are to compete and brings in a statistician (Jonah Hill) to find answers.
Aaron Sorkin, one of the writers, seems to be making an art out of writing films that aren't about what they seem to be about. The Social Network wasn't about Facebook. Moneyball isn't about baseball. It's barely glimpsed. Instead, it examines the fine line between visionary and lunacy. Spreadsheets become dramatic. Nearly. Brad Pitt is the calm centre of the film, rarely moving beyond calm and charming. Jonah Hill, with stats theories and spreadsheets is brilliant in bringing doubt about his theories, never having the confidence in them his manager treats them with. Phillip Seymour Hoffman says virtually nothing as the angry coach left to run a team of misfits and as ever, nearly steals the show.
A great look at what it takes to succeed under fire, how close failure may be and sport off the field. You really don't need to know about baseball to enjoy this.
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