‘Moneyball’ – 2011
Over the years we have seen numerous stories about baseball come and go without much fanfare. One reason for this is people take America’s ‘pastime’ for granted, not really allowing themselves’ to see the magic that baseball offers. And even though the season is officially delayed because of the current pandemic, there are ways to fill the void. And watching “Moneyball” is one way. Sure, it’s not exactly the same as watching the Yankees play the Red Sox, but I will take whatever I can get right now. Figure, I’ve been ‘all in’ on the new Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance, so why not bring a little baseball into the fold. Baseball has been my favorite sport since I can remember, but instead of going with an easy pick like “The Natural,” I wanted to pick something that everyone hasn’t seen for this week’s Flashback pick.
The story here is based on the 2003 Michael Lewis’ book of the same name follows the trials and tribulations of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) and his attempt to field a major league baseball team with little to no money. Beane, who was once a premier MLB prospect knows what it took to get to that level and even stay there, even though he was unable to do so himself. But, as they say, those who can’t play, teach and as a general manager, Beane showed his method could work after watching his 2002 A’s go on a historical 20-game winning streak and matching the Yankees 103 victories for the American League. The only difference was, Beane spent a good $85 million less than the Yankees paving the way for other teams to use his formula for evaluating talent. This formula, known as sabermetrics, would measure in-game activity rather than industry activity while searching for objective knowledge about baseball. By manipulating this data, Beane was able to search for talent and essentially predict a player’s future in major league baseball, good or bad. This would prove vital for his A’s success in fielding a team of talented players for a very low cost. And while the full story has yet to be written on Billy Beane, it’s nice to watch a film show what life is all about through the sport of baseball, a common theme you can trace back to such classics like “The Natural” and “Field of Dreams.”
In case you’re wondering, I too thought it was weird to see someone like Brad Pitt in a film about baseball. No offense to Pitt, but he is not one that makes you think about sports, nor is he one I would ever peg to play such a dynamic figure like Billy Beane. But, in true Brad Pitt fashion, he took the role and absolutely ran with it. I was impressed and really, never would have expected this out of Pitt. And I guess given my own passion or baseball, seeing Pitt shine like this in “Moneyball” made me respect him even more. I know, how shallow can I be? But, can you blame me when you figure outside of this past year’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” the last role that was this raw was probably “Fight Club” back in 1999. Supporting Pitt every step of the way was Jonah Hill and the late/great Philip Seymour Hoffman, but only one truly made an impact. Believe it or not, that person was not Hoffman, who in an odd twist was a bit disappointing as Oakland A’s skipper Art Howe. Maybe it was the script, but Hoffman was almost forgettable, which I can’t remember ever happening before this file. I mean, the guy virtually stole the show in “Mission: Impossible III,” but here was bested by Jonah Hill, who fit perfectly into the role as the assistant general manager to Pitt’s Beane. For a guy who blew up after his stint in the hilarious “Superbad,” Hill has made a pretty decent career for himself. Sure, it’s in spurts, but he makes his impact known alongside Pitt in this one, which is no small feat.
Looking back at a film like “Moneyball” actually can find its use these days if you look hard enough. Any formula that can evaluate how successful someone will be at a certain cost could be very useful for a lot of us right now. So while Brad Pitt might be the reason to watch it at first, you will quickly see just how special and heartfelt this story is overall. And that’s thanks to a great muse, in Billy Beane, but also to master screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, who was able to take the Michael Lewis book that virtually no one read, and mold it into a big screen feature-film. Sure, director Bennett Miller helped, but as I have said before, how hard can it be to film talent like Pitt? Truthfully, the best compliment I can give Miller is that he took whatever Sorkin wanted from this script and did it, not altering one thing from behind the camera. Hey, sometimes that’s all it takes, so credit Miller into seeing a good story for what it was and allowing his cast to ‘do what they do.’ In the end, it equals out to a very entertaining film to watch while we all sit in our houses.
B+