4K Blu-ray Review: Moneyball

Synopsis: Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) challenges the system and defies conventional wisdom when he is forced to rebuild his small-market team, on a limited budget. Despite opposition from the old guard, the media, fans and their own field manager (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Beane - with the help of a young, number-crunching, Yale-educated economist (Jonah Hill) - develops a roster of misfits…and along the way, forever changes the way the game is played.

Main Feature: Moneyball has become an annual tradition. It just feels right to watch during the MLB trade deadline, when teams are making those last-ditch efforts to save the season or build for the future. Sometimes calculated, sometimes knee-jerk, this 11th hour set of events works as a contrast to the film's portrayal and calculated methodology behind sabermetrics. Pitt is about as laid back and easy-going of a performance as you can get playing Beane. And yet, it's nowhere close to being lazy. Hill breaks out of the Apatow crew of comedy with this humorous serious role that earned him his first Oscar nomination. Hoffman also brilliant in one of his final roles, showing what could've been a lengthy career of his varied range of talents. Chris Pratt starts his climb out of plump Pawnee role towards superstardom--before he was a Guardian, he was an Oakland Athletic. The film just moves and clicks, with a solid golden message that no matter the outcome of what you do--just enjoy the show, as his daughter sings. “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” is a line Pitt's Beane says twice. To him baseball is life. it was to be his future, now it's all he has. It's a simple, poetic thing of beauty. Entertaining and deep, thanks to a wonderful script by Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian and effortless direction by Bennett Miller. 

Bonus Features: There are some sizeable, enjoyable bonuses. A sitdown interview with Miller, Sorkin, Zaillian and Beane; a brief blooper reel of Pitt breaking constantly; and basic featurettes about casting, script, etc. It's not the most plentiful, but the film is soldi gold, and this is gravy. A digital insert for a 4k UHD digital copy is included on standard insert. 

Final Call: While the extras barely get on-base, Moneyball the film stands on it's own as genuine quality crowd pleaser of a film that knocks it out of the park.

Grade: A-