- Film Review
- Reviewed By Terry Staunton
-
4 out of 5
This engrossing drama is based on the true story of the Oakland A baseball team general manager Billy Beane's pioneering system, which used statistics and computer analysis to build a trophy-winning side. Strapped for cash and reeling from humiliating defeats, Beane (Brad Pitt) faces opposition to his radical methods from the sport's more traditionally minded personalities, until results start to go his way. From what may seem, on the surface, to be dry subject matter, director Bennett Miller delivers a wordy but well-paced and thrilling film, closer to co-writer Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network than previous baseball-themed big hitters Bull Durham or Field of Dreams. Pitt brings a winning blend of charisma and daring enthusiasm to the lead role, ably supported by Jonah Hill as Beane's number-crunching deputy, with a curmudgeonly Philip Seymour Hoffman stealing his scenes as a representative of the old guard.
Plot Summary
The manager of a struggling baseball team faces disaster, as his star players are bought out by richer clubs and he is unable to afford to replace them. An economics student offers him a solution to his problems, finding a ground-breaking way to analyse the performance of cheaper players and combining their abilities to form a winning side. Fact-based drama, starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Billy Beane
- Brad Pitt
- Peter Brand
- Jonah Hill
- Art Howe
- Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Sharon
- Robin Wright Penn
- Scott Hatteberg
- Chris Pratt
- David Justice
- Stephen Bishop
- Mark Shapiro
- Reed Diamond
- Ron Washington
- Brent Jennings
- Grady Fuson
- Ken Medlock
- Elizabeth Hatteberg
- Tammy Blanchard
Crew
- Director
- Bennett Miller
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