Moneyball

The other night my friend and I rented "Moneyball", starring Brad Pitt.  I had somehow missed it when it came out in the fall, but it had gotten a lot of terrific press, and a ton of Oscar nominations.  I'm also a huge baseball fan, so I was really looking forward to it.  And it did not disappoint.  Pitt plays Billy Bean, former pro ballplayer, and now General Manager of the Oakland A's baseball team.  His team has just lost the pennant, and also lost their three best players.  As a small market team, he knows they can't compete with increasing salaries, so he searches for a unique solution. He finds it in the form of Jonah Hill, who plays Assistant GM Peter Brant. He and Hill become convinced that the only way to win is to go after players who are off the radar, but have an uncanny ability to get on base.  Thus begins the ups and downs of their season, as they try to prove their new concept.

Now the above description may sound a bit dull, but I beg to differ.  It's a totally terrific movie, and definitely worth a viewing.  Pitt and Hill are both fantastic, and it also has an outstanding screenplay from Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin.  And if that doesn't grab you, then I have two words: Brad Pitt.  A buffed out Brad Pitt no less. Worth the price of admission alone.