Moneyball (2011)
by George Watches Things
***½
I really like baseball. And I put a lot of stock in statistics in sports. So going into Moneyball, I was afraid of being let down by an overly dramatic film. I wasn’t let down by an overly dramatic film. I wasn’t let down at all.
The dialogue is a lot less sharp in Moneyball than in The Social Network, the other recent Aaron Sorkin creation. That’s because the people in baseball, like the game itself, are a lot more relaxed than the people in the technological world that Mark Zuckerberg inhabits. That doesn’t mean, however, that Moneyball isn’t compelling and it doesn’t flow.
Moneyball (no italics) is an idea… a game within a game, if you will. It’s about getting value. An $8M player may be way better than a $500K player, but would you rather be paying a great player $8M for great production or three good players $1.5M combined for almost the same production? That’s only one of the many questions posed to Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) by Johnny-come-lately stat-geek Peter Brand (Jonah Hill). They battle not only other teams, but also the old school way of thinking in baseball. Oh, also, Beane has a daughter that sings.
Almost all these characters have great emotional moments. Brad Pitt, or rather Billy Beane, has numerous natural moments with his daughter (Kerris Dorsey). The character interactions were especially believable. I loved how Philip Seymour Hoffman‘s manager got under the skin of Billy Beane, although Hoffman had nothing to do in this film. Jonah Hill was surprisingly good, though.
But why is Billy Beane divorced? The movie never touches that subject. Instead, it opts to show him throwing things and driving his car in circles on a dock. We get it. He’s frustrated. But the movie should have given us more emotion early on, instead of putting it all at the very end.
Adam Kempenaar of Filmspotting said in his review that he wanted the movie to give him “one big scene,” a scene like the chariot scene in Ben-Hur. I agree. I wasn’t fully invested in the “big game,” and what would have been the climax in any other movie was not that here (the playoff mini-scene). The movie brought me to this point, and I get that a loss is a loss, but I had hoped for something big.
The end of the movie was beautiful, though. It was fittingly intimate and small. I won’t give it away, but I will urge you to go see this movie, even if you aren’t a baseball fan.
Notes:
- I know how simple and somewhat thought-less this is going to sound, but I’ll say it anyway: it had pretty colors.
- No funny quotes this time because I saw it in a theater.
- Brad Pitt was very good, but not as great as he was in The Tree of Life.
- Moneyball is the best movie I’ve seen so far this year.
- If you see and enjoy Moneyball, you might also want to check out Man on Wire and The Band That Wouldn’t Die.
- Coming up: more 1970s talk and my reviews of The Fighter, Moonstruck, and Pulp Fiction.
Good review and I look forward to seeing the movie! Also, I agree with your take on Man on Wire – it’s incredible. Will put The Band That Wouldn’t Die on my (very long) list.
Great! Thanks for commenting!
Nice post this movie is on my list to see
I don’t think there needed to be “one big scene” outside of the 20 game winning streak. The A’s didn’t make it past the first round that season, just like the year before, so the long winning streak was really the team’s high point. It was still an incredible season even with the loss in the playoffs, but there was no real option for a “trophy raising” moment at the end.
Yes, I know a trophy raising moment would have made no sense, but the playoff scene was very, very short. Thanks for commenting.
AMAZING MOVIE! This is a must see for all baseball fans and sports fans too. The whole story changed sports for the better.
I agree. More stats = more fun.
It may not feel quite like the classic baseball movie others have achieved, but it’s certainly pleasant enough to be enjoyable even by non-sports fan, and features great performances from Hill and Pitt. Good review.
I agree. I think there weren’t enough montages for it to be as sports-y as Major League. Thanks for stopping by!
Looking forward to seeing this when it arrives in theatres out here in Europski. Sorkin is an immense screenwriter and the very concept of the movie is an exciting. Your review has whetted my appetite further. P.S. Colour recognition isn’t thought-less, as colour patterning is one of the primary aesthetic choices a cinematographer & director will make.
I was a little leery of this one, but I might have to check it out.
I suggest you do!
I thought it was a perfectly competent movie, one that’s just satisfying enough throughout but doesn’t really sweep you away in any one aspect. Good review, glad you liked it!
“it had pretty colors” is sometimes exactly what I need from a movie. I’m intrigued by your review, but stalled by my general lack of interest in baseball. I may yet give it a shot–erm, swing?
I think that a non-baseball fan could enjoy Moneyball. It’s very much a story about humans.
My daughter (who is not much of a baseball fan) and I enjoyed this film. Great review of it. Thanks.
Nice review. This was a very solid film that should resonate with most audiences. I really liked the film but would of enjoyed a bit more baseball and less of Pitt driving around in a truck. I see where you said this was the best film you have seen this year, have you seen Drive yet? Drive is far superior IMO
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as you did, but can definitely understand why baseball fans and stats followers would go for it. Nice review!
[…] and the Deathly Hallows: Part II 5. The Tree of Life 4. The Lincoln Lawyer 3. Certified Copy 2. Moneyball 1. […]
Great review. I’m the furthest thing from a baseball fan but it held my attention. The writing helped and I found the dialogue to be very fluid and snappy. Pitt completely disappeared in the role of Billy Beane and we can only hope there is an Oscar nod for his work here. Great site!
-Steve
Thanks and I agree with all your points!
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Love it, and I hate sports.