Movie Review: "Moneyball"

Partly due to the Academy Award nomination for Brad Pitt, this movie was one I hesitated to get from Netflix. Sometimes the overly hyped movies are duds and those nominations don't guarantee that I'll like the movie.

I should have listened to my gut. "Moneyball" disappointed me. Of course, nothing with Brad Pitt in it is bad; I mean just look at him. However, the story line wasn't really for a casual baseball fan like me. Pitt did the smokeless tobacco thing to look the part, but he just didn't strike me as a baseball type. The only part of the movie that rang true for me was his situation as a divorced father who dearly loved his daughter and was torn up that he couldn't be with her more.

"Moneyball" is about the Oakland A's and their low-budget attempts to field a decent baseball team. Pitt hires a guy who has a system on his computer to get "guys who can get on base," ignoring such normal criteria as age, pitching ability, fielding ability, and health. He takes a chance on several guys no one else wants. The story is about their struggles and then of course you know their success will follow. No surprises there; otherwise no movie.

If you live for baseball stats and know who is who is baseball, you'll love this movie. If you just like to watch a good game, or watch because some of the players are cute, don't get this movie unless you are such a big Brad Pitt fan you'd watch him in anything.