Finn's Flicks from the Past - Moneyball [2011]

The film sees Beane and assistant GM Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), build a talented team of misfits, despite a very limited budget, by using a sophisticated sabermetric approach to scouting and analyzing players.

It sounds boring on the surface but is actually an interesting and entertaining look into the creation and application of a system of ‘buying runs’ as the film so simply puts it.

Pitt and Hill are brilliant as they work so well together.

Both characters manage to be engaging in their own ways. Beane is charismatic while Brand is quietly learning the politics of baseball. It's a soulful film.

The lead duo are joined by an amazing supporting cast that features Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright and Chris Pratt.

The film is based on the 2003 book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis.

The script was initially written by Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List, American Gangster) before being re-written by my favourite writer, Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, The West Wing).

You can see the touch of each on the film as relationships, character growth and dialogue, which both writers are known for, are so evident throughout.

They write a film that instead of having a few good scenes throughout, has a lot of short sharp scenes mixed with longer ones that are all good.

Director Bennett Miller can also be commended for this as he does not dwell on any one aspect for too long and manages to tie in flashbacks seamlessly.

There are some stand out scenes, like any with Billy and the scouts, but over all Moneyball is a cohesive and flowing film.

It accumulated a bunch of honours in 2011. It ranked in the top 10 of many critics lists of 2011's best films, as well as being nominated for six academy awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Pitt, Best Supporting Actor for Hill and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Moneyball was another brilliant entry into Brad Pitt's career, but for Hill it was different.

This film marked a change in Jonah Hill’s career as it was his first major serious acting role and he nailed it.

Although, at it's base, the film is your cheesy underdog story, it is done in a way that makes you expect failure and setbacks more than success.

You aren't thinking everything is going to turn out alright in the end. 

Moneyball is one of my favourite films. It is just enjoyable from start to end. 

I cannot recommend it enough for the story, screenplay and acting alone.