Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) looks for an advantage while stuck with the one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. With the help of a young assistant (Jonah Hill), Bean shakes things up by using statistical data to draft his players in lieu of old-fashioned scouting. Despite the vehement objections from inside and outside the Athletics, especially the Athletics manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Beane strives to beat the odds and make baseball history.Rohail PremjeeDirected by: Bennett MillerStarring: Pitt, Hill, Seymour HoffmanRated R133 Minutes
Different from your average sports movie, "Moneyball" takes a look not at the players, but at the men who run the team and make all the hard decisions. Pitt fits nicely into the role of Billy Beane, but the real plaudits should go to Hill for his effective portrayal of the statistical mastermind behind the A's strategy. Backed by a powerful script by two of the best writers in Hollywood, Steven Zailian and Aaron Sorkin, "Moneyball" is well worth your dollar. Varun Bhuchar
Six years after his critically acclaimed "Capote," director Bennett Miller finally returns to the big screen. While the film runs a bit too long, "Moneyball" remains intensely moving even until its tear-jerking end. The movie's strengths lie in its visceral yet elegant directing and editing, which take you into the behind-the-scenes world of the competitive sports industry, offering thrills to even those who are not sports fans. "Moneyball" is a must-watch, if not for its astonishing production values then for Pitt's charismatic acting. Rohail Premjee
Just as Pitt's Billy Beane transforms the nature of baseball recruiting, "Moneyball" re-works the sports movie genre to create a soulful meditation on the lore and reality of the baseball industry. Sorkin and Zaillian's script lends more emotional weight than is usual in such tales, but Wally Pfister's cinematography is the real star, imparting to the baseball stadium that grandiose sense of depth I only thought was possible to experience in real life. Katie Kilkenny
