I'm not much of a fan of baseball or Brad Pitt, but I ended up actually thoroughly enjoying Moneyball. A quiet, understated movie with a star-studded cast (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jonah Hill, Robin Wright Penn and of course, Pitt) it was penned by Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The West Wing), Moneyball tells the story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane as he attempts to put together a winning team under budget constraints and lack of faith.
A former baseball star himself whose career didn't achieve quite the success he imagined, Beane ends up turning the industry on its ear. Eschewing traditional methods and pissing off most people in the process, Beane implemented statistical methods and computer-generated analysis to pick players, putting together an entire line-up out of what were considered the dregs of baseball, and all on a minuscule budget. For the most part, Brad Pitt shines as the tobacco-spitting, former up-and-comer Billy Beane. He gives a no-frills performance that's all in the eyes, often shot in close-up to frame his tired yet unflagging pursuit of the revolutionary team.
Working closely with math whiz Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), Beane sets into motion a re-imagining of the Oakland A's lineup based on player value calculated through statistics. Hill is one of the greatest aspects of this movie; having seen him in Superbad and other comedic roles, this is a complete 180. He's reserved and mature, the stalwart number-cruncher alongside Beane's flaring temper and charm. Moneyball may be his way into drama, and it's a great use of his talents.
Beane clashes with everyone in his attempts to get his unconventional ideas into play, whether it's a table full of seasoned scouts or team manager Art Howe (Hoffman). Howe and Beane perpetually butt heads throughout the film, with Howe repeatedly refusing to adapt to Beane's system until Beane pulls out every stop to leave him no choice but to play his players according to the calculations. Hoffman is unfortunately underused in his role, but his sparks of frustration are palpable and he provides good friction for Pitt's character.
The film is based on the book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis, which details more about how Bill James, the godfather of introducing statistical analysis to baseball, reinvented and reinvigorated the game. As such, Moneyball transcends the love of the sport and makes a fascinating study of a man who dared to be wrong and to try something truly new.
What could have been played up more in this movie, however, were these characters. You get the flesh of Billy Beane from flashbacks showing him as a young baseball star forsaking a scholarship to Stanford for a multimillion-dollar baseball contract, and it's a rich back story, but it would have been nice to see it translated more to his adult life.
For the most part, Beane is single-minded in his pursuit of this newly organized team, but you don't get a lot more than that doggedness. Instead, Pitt just keeps throwing around chairs and other stationary objects to indicate his frustration; what works better are subtler scenes of him working out in the gym while games are being played out on the field, too nervous to even watch it unfold.
Also a less successful plot was Beane's relationship with his 12-year-old daughter and estranged wife – there's just not enough of a connection to make it a worthy subplot, and it ends up taking away from the action. Pitt is best when he's wrangling players to come over to the A's or manipulating managers to get trades. When he's in the thick of it, powering through despite all the roadblocks--that's when the audience roots for him in his unconventional quest.
The actual games themselves are played to tense, excellent effect, interspersed with video footage of the real games. Some of the best interactions come between Beane and his players, notably Chris Pratt as Scott Hatteberg, who takes over as first baseman despite never having played the position in his life, and Stephen Bishop as superstar David Justice who's coming to the end of his glory days. Beane takes a chance on all these players who are considered misfits for various reasons, and their eagerness to adapt to his unexpected methodology is a treat to see.
Overall, Moneyball is a movie definitely worth checking out even if baseball isn't your thing. It's more a story of a man who did something truly unique, who became a maverick of the game through perseverance and unfailing vision. It does run a little long for being such an un-showy, understated movie, but it's worth it to see good acting and story line.
