Thursday, August 4, 2011

Will Brad Pitt's Moneyball strike a home run for the cinematic underdog?

Brad Pitt in a real-life tale of a baseball coach whose side defies the odds? Sounds very Oscar to us. What do you think?

US sports films usually fail to ignite much passion in UK cinemagoers, but Brad Pitt's latest, Moneyball, could be the one to light a fire. It's based on the real-life story of Oakland Athletics manager Billy Beane, who since 1998 has been using a revolutionary statistical system, Sabermetrics, to help his team of also-rans compete at the upper reaches of Major League Baseball.

The film has had a rough time at the plate and is itself something of an underdog. Original director Steven Soderbergh swung out due to money woes and the script was on the bench until Sony Pictures brought in a costly transfer ? all-star all-rounder Aaron Sorkin ? to do a rewrite. Still, we reckon the revamped Moneyball, directed by Bennett Miller (Capote), could end up doing well in the Oscar run. Perennial Academy favourite Philip Seymour Hoffman is on board and there's something very Oscar about an unfancied team triumphing over more glamorous sides through superior guile and hard work.

Are we on the money? Or heading for the dugout? Do pitch in ...


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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/aug/04/moneyball-brad-pitt

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