Moneyball (2011)

* * * *

I started watching this film while being distracted by my computer and didn’t follow it properly and therefore was completely lost. I decided (after watching over an hour of the film) to start again, with no distractions, and to pay attention. I’m so glad that I did because this film is incredible and it is a shame that none of the Oscar nomination came to fruition.

Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill performed very well and they had a good chemistry; this was especially clear in their first scene together in the film. It’s refreshing to see Hill in a more serious role, however he does still play (a slightly toned down) goofy comedic friend. The casting was, on the whole, strong; especially as the film rested on the fact that they had 3 big names (Pitt, Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman) and therefore they didn’t get big names for the smaller roles. This made everything less distracting as you weren’t constantly wondering where you had seen all these faces before.

The script is very good, as although it is often quite technical and involves a lot of names, it is never overly confusing (unless you tune out). The screenplay is written by Steven Zailian and Aaron Sorkin and this explains how the language is so masterfully crafted in this film (and its fast paces nature). Both these men have written some impressive films and are constantly being nominated for awards/winning them. This choice to employ men who write verbose scripts for a sports film is brave and helps to elevate this film into the award rankings rather than just allowing it to become a ‘good sports film’; it is a good film regardless of genre.