January 23, 2012

Brief Review: Moneyball- All The Numbers, No Depth

I have never been one for Sport flicks. I find them to follow a formula which become monotnous. The underdogs are laughing stocks. They are assigned a coach who goes against the grain. They start doing well and then there is the classic "Big Game" finale where they either win to sweeten the end or lose which will lead to a lesson about life. Either way, I don't find it terribly interesting.

The thing about Moneyball is that it isn't a bad movie. On the contrary I found it interesting. Learning about the statistics, satisfied my inner nerd and I was intrigued. However, that's all it was. Numbers. It felt almsot mechanic. Numbers, stats, this, and that. There was no real depth.

I can't pin point my feelings on Pitt. On paper he did well. He played the character and the he conveyed emotions that were very touching ( I loved the scenes with his daughter. Can't you totally see him talking like that with his kids?) However, I can't shake the idea that Pitt was playing...well Pitt. Granted, this type of character wasn't neurotic like his Tyler Durdan or charming like his Tristan. However, the character didn't seem like a real stretch for Pitt. No, he was playing a regular, Joe. His destined nomination for an Oscar is questionable at best.

I was happy to see Jonah Hill play a serious role. His drastic weight loss is changing his image from funny fat guy to more established actor. I like it. I think he's the type of actor who can play both ends of the field (no pun intended)

Overall, I enjoyed Moneyball. I do suggest that you don't see this half asleep (unless you want to fall asleep to the soft drone of numbers and the sound of bat hitting baseball..) The film won't be for everyone and in my opinion, it does not deserve to be nominated for a Best Film. A solid movie, but nothing spectacular.

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