Moneyball Directed by: Bennett Miller Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: September 23, 2011

TRAILER SCORE: 7/10

Thoughts by TSR: I’ve loved baseball my entire life, but oddly never much cared for baseball movies. When I heard a film based on Michael Lewis’s non-fiction book was being made, I suspected it wouldn’t be a typical inspirational sports movie. Now having watched this trailer for Moneyball, I feel like I was about half right.

Right away it’s difficult to not be intrigued by the names involved. Leading the cast is Brad Pitt, who I think is one of the most consistently great actors working today. He has turned in a string of strong performances, and he appears to be in top form here as Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane. Opposite him is Jonah Hill, who looks to be further shedding his established persona. Hill was great in last year’s Cyrus, and this trailer shows he may be taking that a step further with this performance. With Bennett Miller directing a script from Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian, this could be more than just another run-of-the-mill sports film.

The trailer’s first half seems to deliver on this to an extent. Due to the film dealing with a lot of statistics, it is important to show it’s not going to be a slog to get through. Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill look fun together, and there is a surprising amount of comedy in the first part of the trailer. In addition to that, the trailer shows some nice visuals, especially during the nighttime baseball scenes. In the latter portions of the trailer, however, things turn a bit more formulaic. From the music to the stock footage of highlights, much of it feels like it’s trying to be inspirational. There is nothing wrong with being an inspirational sports movie, and if that’s more indicative of the final product I’m sure it will make a decent, if forgettable, film.

Still, there is a lot to like about this footage. If the film manages to blend the parts together, Moneyball could prove to be something special.