On Friday I went to see the new movie Moneyball. I have to admit that I wanted to see the movie because there was a lot of buzz in the media about the film last week, and it seemed to be favored by a lot of critics. I probably wouldn’t have been as eager to see it based on the plot alone. To sum it up, Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, the general manager of the major league baseball team, the Oakland Athletics. He partners with a recent Yale graduate, played by Jonah Hill, who analyzes baseball statistics to figure out how the team can earn more runs and win more games. I’ll stop at that so I don’t spoil the movie for anyone who hasn’t seen it!
While I thought Moneyball was a pretty good movie with great acting, I was a little disappointed. It was very slow at times even though there was a good story behind it. I heard it was “inspiring,” so I thought it would be one of those powerful sports movies like Rudy, Miracle, and Remember the Titans that even non-sports fans could love because of the moving story. I think that maybe it would have been better for me if I had not read the reviews and heard all the excellent buzz about the movie.
Has anyone else seen Moneyball? What are your thoughts? Or, if you haven’t seen the movie—do you think that media hype contributes to a let down?
I really liked it! The best movie I’ve seen all year.
I am thinking about viewing it again once it comes out on DVD. I didn’t care for the Social Network the first time I saw it, and the second time I loved it. The movies were similar – I think Aaron Sorkin had a hand in writing both scripts.
I want to see it. I am going this weekend, that’s for sure.