Moneyball Review

Directed by: Bennett Miller

Screenplay by: Aaron Sorkin & Steven Zaillian

Genre: Sports Drama

Running Time: 133 Minutes

Release Date: September 23, 2011

9.6/10 Dropps

If Moneyball had to somehow be described in one word only “nontraditional” would come to mind. A nontraditional sports drama that features a nontraditional General Manager who uses a nontraditional way of evaluating talent. However, looking at the final product… a break from tradition was the right call.

Moneyball, based on journalist Michael Lewis’s “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game”, recounts the true story of the 2002 Oakland Athletics and general manager Billy Beane (portrayed with great subtle charm by Brad Pitt). The film begins with the Oakland A’s coming off a postseason loss to the New York Yankees, followed by the departure of three key players via free agency. Given that the A’s payroll is at $41 million ( a puny amount by baseball standards) Beane enlists help from Peter Brand (Jonah Hill, as plucky and awkward as ever), who is a recent Yale graduate who follows the rules of sabermetrics. This new approach to evaluating talent disturbs the baseball establishment, namely the grizzled talent scouts and old-school manager to the point of hostility between team and GM. The only way for Beane’s vision to fully work is if the team wins.

Sabermetrics is an advances statistical tool that was developed in the 1980s by Bill James, that employed new tactics like .OBP (on-base percentage), which unlike Batting Average looks favorably on getting walks. However, you don’t need to be a sports fan to enjoy this film as sabermetrics can be best summed up as, putting a greater emphasis on the process rather than the final results. Additionally, you don’t have to be a sports fan to understand the true emotional depth that Brad Pitt’s Billy Beane showcases in the film. Pitt gives one of his greatest acting performances to date, utilizing a very strong and witty script by great scribes Sorkin (The Social Network) and Zaillian (Schindler’s List). The film, unlike most sports dramas, gets its punch from the more human aspects of Beane’s life – instances that include him driving around in his car listening to games on the radio because of superstition, heart to heart moments with Peter Brand (a composite character based on multiple people from the book), and him dealing with the hardships of handling a pro-baseball team.

Everything just comes together on this film. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Art Howe the hardened manager of the A’s, and gives a solid stolid performance. Wally Pfister (Inception) is the amazing cinematographer who shots are so real the audience could almost smell the infield grass. Director Bennett Miller follows up his Oscar-nominated Capote, with another stellar made film in Moneyball. This film is definitely a must see, and more than deserving of a couple Academy Awards as well… from start to finish the cast and crew hit it out of the park on this one.

-Mat Karako