Late Bloomer With a Question That Maybe Can't Be Answered Here

Just seeing the movie for the first time. The point the movie fully hooked me was the meeting with staff where Billy Beane reveals the new strategy. Peter Brand is in the room, along with the talent scouts.

That scene was brilliant in that is was acted so well. I was able to completely suspend my disbelief. You had this room full of actors, who looked like these guys would look in real life... they looked the part, they sounded the part, they acted the part. There were a lot of wide shots and everyone hit their mark.

My question is, does anyone know how many takes it took to get that shot? I am guessing one, or two at the most. I say that because everyone's reaction was so authentic. That's hard to do over and over.

Do you remember the scene in Goodfellas, in the restaurant where Ray Liotta's character tells Joe Pesci's character that he is funny? And Pesci totally takes Liotta for a ride, making him believe that he really was offended at the remark? Martin Scorsese said that they did that scene in one take, and that it had to be that way to capture the look on everyone's faces.

All the guys in that room for that we're-gonna-shake-things-up meeting had that look on their faces. I am not a baseball fan, nor much of a fan of sports flicks, but this was a very enjoyable movie... with a bunch of laughs to boot.


ps - Is Brad Pitt starting to look like a cross between Benicio Del Toro and Robert Redford? Or is it just me?