Rating of
3.5/4
Subtle and Thoughtful Sports Film
mitchellyoung - wrote on 11/28/11
A powerful film that could have been very boring with the wrong approach. The film manages to make sense of the technical and statistical approach of the book, while, simultaneously capturing the same magical triumphant feel of any good sports film. The catch here is that (and this is no spoiler, since you have only to check out how the real-life 2002 Oakland A's fared to know how the story ends) that there is no spectacular slow-motion World Series walk-off hit (well, kind of, but not in the way you would expect) and the film itself transcends the bounds of traditional sports to draw parallels between baseball, business, and the personal lives of its characters. Understated and great performances by Pitt and Hill play against type and should garner them both Oscar nominations.
