I’m not a huge fan of baseball – I’ll admit that – but I’m definitely a fan of “Moneyball.”

This new drama from director Bennett Miller, who also directed Capote in 2005, shows the gritty reality of the baseball industry from the perspective of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), general manager of the Oakland Athletics.

“Moneyball,” based on a book of the same name by Michael Lewis, dramatizes the real life struggle of the Athletics in the early 2000s. It begins with the team’s loss to the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series.

We immediately join Beane as he begins to try to rebuild the Athletics after the loss of three key players to a free agency. The team also faces an additional financial handicap in comparison with other professional teams. Beane meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) who challenges the traditional notions of scouting by picking players based solely on statistics with no regard to personal lives, appearance or age.

The two team up to bring together a misfit team of throw-away players that other teams won’t touch. This leads to conflict with the Athletics’ manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and the entire scouting crew, until the strategy surprisingly begins to work.

Brad Pitt does a great job playing Billy Beane. He hits the mark in his depiction of a concerned father, an ambitious team manager, a scrupulous businessman and failed player past his prime. Pitt manages to portray the weariness of his character as if he himself lived through Beane’s disappointing major league career. Beane’s relationship with his daughter is a central tenant of his character, and every scene with the two of them is pure gold.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman is spot on with his portrayal of Art Howe, and truly immerses himself in the role. His performance elicits both sympathy and frustration as he tries to do what he feels is best for his team.

While “Moneyball” seems like just another movie about baseball on the surface, it’s truly something else entirely. For one thing, there’s actually very little baseball played. The focus of the film is on Beane and Brand as they work to create and maintain an all-star team.

However, the baseball that we do see is shot beautifully. It romanticizes the game and still manages to keep it grounded in a starkly realistic style that defines the film.

Miller meshes scenes of the movie with real life footage from games and television shows seamlessly, which really adds to the film. “Moneyball” attempts to portray baseball realistically, and it truly delivers.

While I’m not saying that “Moneyball” will make it to the Oscars this year, I certainly think it’s a great film that’s worth seeing as soon as possible, whether you’re a hardcore baseball fan or just someone looking for a great movie.

Luke Bohannon