Moneyball

Let's start by getting the obvious out there:  this is a baseball movie.  That means there is lots of guy talk.  And guys in baseball like to throw curse words almost as much as they like a good curve ball or spitting Skoal drool into a cup.

So, this ain't no cutesy story designed for a family movie night.  This is more grab a beer, a piece of pizza, your favorite spouse and worry about your singed ears later kind of show.

I went into this thing thinking "Mike really wants to see this.  I can endure this two hours out of love for him."  And I left, surprisingly thinking, "I LOVED that."

Admittedly, Brad Pitt lost some of his hunkiness somewhere about the time he married Angelina Jolie.  I'm not sure if those two events coincided on accident or if she needed a vial of blood to wear around her neck and sucked it straight out of him, rendering him a little, um, less attractive.  But, regardless, it happened.

Yet, this movie brought him back in style.  Redford style, to be exact.

I swear, there were about a half-dozen moments where he struck a pose and the camera caught a few seconds of time where Mike and I were all "Holy Butch Cassidy! I swear that is Bob Redford!"*

Boy got his sexy back.

But, in case you are a dude and could care less about Brad Pitt's looks, let me actually review the movie, too.

This movie is very reminiscent of so many plots we love where the little guy comes from behind and saves the day.  Yet, it manages to put a little twist on the theory that every movie like that HAS to end with a last second goal.

And, if you've read any of the other movie reviews I've done lately, you know that I hate nothing more than when the movie ends without being tied up in a nice, neat, little bow.  Even if it is a sad ending, I want my movies to have an ending.  And, Moneyball, delivered.

The true moral character of GM Billy Beane shown through like the sun during the last minute of the film, when a couple of sentences shown on the screen, right before the credits, wrapped every thing up.

Billy is the kind of coach you wish your son would get and the kind of guy you wish would be teaching your son lessons about tough decision making.  And that made watching Moneyball worth every second.

Of course, the pizza and beer didn't hurt either...

This review wouldn't be complete without giving a five-star general salute to Jonah Hill.  Some of you may know him from the likes of Superbad and Knocked Up.  Since I try to steer clear of movies whose plots consist of jokes and pranks that would make 12-year-old boys giggle, I can't comment on how far he has come.  But, I'm guessing a cruise over Mt. Fuji from there to Moneyball would describe it.

Let's just say:  leave your preconceived notions of who Mr. Hill is as an actor at the door.  He walked away with from the Golden Globes with hardware as Best Supporting Actor.  He'll have a chance at taking home Oscar in just a few days. 

Moneyball, while it won't take a best picture statue this year, is a solid movie that moves effortlessly, engages its audience in baseball AND the chemistry of creating a good team using solid math/statistics**, and leaves you wanting to know more.

More about the statistics that are so fanatically kept throughout the season, more about baseball in general, more about the people behind the players.  And if that gets more people to take an advanced math course or buy a ticket to a game this spring, then not getting best picture isn't going to matter one bit. 

Moneyball gets one and a half-pinkies up, simply because I could have done without all the cursing.

No kleenex needed, unless, like me and Mike, you find yourself needing a place to wipe pizza grease.



*Yeah.  We know him SO well, we call him Bob. 

**Mike and I were cheering like a geek squad when they were explaining the math/stats behind all this hiring business.  It was AWESOMENESS!