Moneyball

What an interesting movie Moneyball is. My friend and I went to see it Saturday night. Brad Pitt, how could we not. Not that I'm a baseball fan, soccer is my game, but I found myself fascinated with how this movie revolved. By the end of the movie I personally was excited, and will tell you why at the end. This movie is Brad Pitt all the way with a well done assist by Jonah Hill (before he lost his weight). Although Philip Hoffman played the manager of the team, his role is small and although he does it in his usual wonderful way this is a Brad Pitt movie, who as usual, takes on the role and becomes the role and you totally identify with the character he is playing. In this movie he is Billy Bean, general manager of the Oakland A's. He begins to work with Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) utilizing a whole new method to create a team.
I found it interesting, as an avid British soccer fan, watching how the trading, buying, working with the team members went on. I thought the lesson of how we get stuck in the 'old way of thinking' can restrict us from seeing the 'new'. Also, the director had many long pauses in this movie, and I remember thinking how 'slow' it appeared. I immediately understood how we are so programmed for movement and quickness that we lose the subtleties of life. This movie brings this together. The silences, with the people's faces reflecting the emotion going through them, was sublime. Also some of the long shots of the long walks down underneath the stadium had an effect. Bennett Miller, the director took this 'sport' movie and made an 'art' movie. A story of people, working to create a new theory, believing in it. Against all odds making it work. Also it is a story of a man who went after the dollar, and not have it work out, and who in the end stays within his integrity and refuses to go after the dollar. Unusual in this day and age. 
Now, the exciting part for me was the ending. The Red Sox team was bought by John Henry who goes on to use this new recruiting idea and ends up winning the World Series. John Henry has bought the British Soccer team Liverpool - which I follow and I'm excited because I'm sure he will use the same procedure to ensure Liverpool will be at the top of the game in a few years. Yeah!!!  For this reason I loved this movie, as it gave me hope.
All in all, this movie is thought provoking on different levels. Being open to new ideas, being willing to believe when everyone is saying no it won't work. Doing what is necessary to get the idea in production and not selling out on your own integrity.  Worth seeing
4 out of 5.