With reviews of his films Molly’s Game and The Trial of the Chicago 7, February had turned into a bit of an Aaron Sorkin appreciation month so for my last review of the month we decided to check out the 2011 film Moneyball, which Sorkin co-wrote the script for.

Based on real events, Moneyball tells the story of Oakland Athletics’ general manager Billy Beane as he faces a new baseball season without three of his key players. Unable to compete with the deep pockets of the big teams, Beane decides to adopt a somewhat different approach and look to ‘buy wins’ rather than players. And no, this isn’t a story of corruption in the highest level of sports but rather the use of statistical data and probabilities to ensure victory.

Beane recruits Peter Brand, an Economics graduate from Yale, who adopts the principles of statistician Bill James and advises Beane to go after players who most consider to be too old, injured or unorthodox to make it in the big leagues, much to the chagrin of Oakland’s coach and team of scouts. With his career on the line, Billy Beane needs to get his support team on board and deliver results.

You would be forgiven for doubting that a film about statistics could be even remotely interesting but Sorkin’s writing, along with the direction from Bennett Miller and strong acting performances from Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, manage to hold your attention for the full 2 hour 15 minute run time. And the 6 Oscar nominations are also good sign.

Brad Pitt shines in a performance that is somewhat more subdued than some of his other roles, save for a few explosive temper tantrums. The use of flashbacks to tell Billy’s story from his days as a high school baseball star to the Oakland A’s General Manager really add a depth to the character.

Unfortunately, Jonah Hill’s Peter Brand doesn’t receive the same courtesy and we learn very little of his character other than his fairly recent graduation from Yale. That being said, Hill gives a great performance that stands up well alongside Pitt.

As Oakland’s coach, Art Howe, Philip Seymour Hoffman doesn’t say a huge amount but he has a strength of presence on screen that is subtle but effective in portraying his disagreement with Beane’s plan.

Overall, the film is well told with good pacing and strong performances. And although I enjoyed Moneyball as a whole, I doubt I will watch it again, for me it doesn’t have enough of a sparkle to warrant a revisit.