Moneyball is a drama film about the success of the 2002 Oakland A’s (this is based on a true story.) This movie’s main character is Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) the general manager of the team and Peter Brandt (played by Jonah Hill) the assistant general manager of the A’s. I would highly recommend seeing this movie. Any baseball fan or any sports fan would have a great time seeing this film.
You will find it so amazing how small market teams like the A’s with an approximate $40,000,000 payroll could go against large market teams like the New York Yankees with an approximate $112,000,000 payroll and succeed. Most people would just assume that the Yankees would easily win because they can afford any player that they want and teams like the A’s can’t. Going into the 2002 season without their three best players, Johnny Damon (who signed with the Boston Red sox), Jason Giambi (who signed with the Yankees) and Jason Isringhausen (who signed with the St. Louis Cardinals.) Billy Beane replaced those guys with David Justice, Jeremy Giambi (Jason’s brother), Chad Bradford and Scott Hatteburg, guys that nobody has ever heard of nor thinks that they could win. Everybody thought that Beane and Brandt were crazy but they were wrong. Hatteburg was a catcher in Boston where he entirely messed up his arm. When the A’s signed him, they wanted him at first base which was crazy according to lots of people. Also at first base was star rookie Carlos Pena. Beane wanted Hatteburg to start but manager Art Howe refused. The A’s started the 2002 season with a record of 20-26 (which everybody thought would happen) and approximately 10 games behind the AL West leading Seattle Mariners. Then at the trade deadline, the A’s made major moves such as trading Pena and Giambi and acquired pitcher Ricardo Rincon from the Cleveland Indians. Now it was Hatteburg’s time to shine at first base. Then the A’s did the unthinkable. They won an AL record 20 games in a row, finishing the season 103-59, making the playoffs shocking everybody. Even though they lost in the first round they proved something that can be said in every sport, anybody can beat anybody and it doesn’t matter how much money is on your payroll.
I give this movie 9.75 out of 10 because I love the story and it just amazes me how this happened. The whole movie did seem very real to me and the only bad thing is that the movie was long but that doesn’t really matter when there is a great story like this.