 Hoffman next had significant supporting roles in two films , both released in the last third of 2011 . In Moneyball , a sports drama about the 2002 season of the baseball team Oakland Athletics , he played the manager Art Howe . The film was a critical and commercial success , and Hoffman was described as " perfectly cast " by Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post , but the real @-@ life Art Howe accused the filmmakers of giving an " unfair and untrue " portrayal of him . Hoffman 's second film of the year was George Clooney 's political drama The Ides of March , in which he played the earnest campaign manager to the Democratic presidential candidate Mike Morris ( Clooney ) . The film was well @-@ received and Hoffman 's performance , especially in the scenes opposite Paul Giamatti – who played the rival campaign manager – was positively noted . Hoffman 's work on the film earned him his fourth BAFTA Award nomination . 
