Moneyball

I am not a follower of baseball, although I followed last seasons home town events with interest with the Giants, even watching the final of the World Series for the first time. Despite my rudimentary knowledge of the game, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Moneyball tells of how Billy Beane, the Oakland A's general manager played by Brad Pitt, faced with limited resources, and losing some of his star players to the Yankees hires a Yale economics graduate and statistician played by Jonah Hill, and devises a system for buying undervalued players to replace the likes of Giambi, by looking at players in new ways.

It's a calculated risk that flies in the face of conventional wisdom, and met with much resistance on the field, within the club, and from the media. Suffice to say that previous methods of picking though amusing were highly dubious.

"He has an ugly girlfriend."

"What does that mean?"

"Ugly girlfriend means he has no confidence."

Memorable movie lines:

"The problem we're trying to solve is that there are rich teams, and there are poor teams. Then there's 50 feet of crap. And then there's us. It's an unfair game."

"I hate losing. I hate losing more than I love winning."

The screenplay was written by Aaron Sorkin who created West Wing and won the Best Screenplay Oscar for The Social Network, and slides comfortably home with this effort.

Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the unhappy team coach with whom Beane bumps heads. Robin Wright Penn plays his ex wife, now with a new man who does not follow baseball.

The character of Beane as depicted by Pitt seems somewhat oddball, so one wonders if Beane is really this odd, or if the screenwriter is imposing his own don't explain philosophy on the character. Brad loves to play with the eccentricites of his characters, whether it's outright craziness as in Twelve Monkeys or a thick accent as in Snatch. This really makes the movie, as Brad gives one of his best performances.

Even though I don't follow baseball, I do love a great story, and I can relate as a soccer follower, because we share a passion for a game, and can understand the frustration of supporting a team that has to make sacrifices of favorite players, and has less money than the big teams to compete for the same trophies.

So, if you're like me and don't usually follow baseball, I think you will like the movie because it's a good story, and you will love the quirkiness of the characters and their relationships. In the movie Beane has to make a very big decision, so there was an emotional bit where Beane is in the car by himself at the end, which I liked. I loved the relationhip with his daughter, and the overall shenanigans as he bumps heads with the other characters. I think Brad Pitt will probably gt an Oscar nomination for his prformance.

If you do follow baseball, you will probably enjoy it even more than I did.

Moneyball gained six Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor for Brad Pitt, and Best Supporting Actor for Jonah Hill.

I think you will enjoy it, and I hope this was helpful.

Moneyball (Biography, Drama, Sport)
Directed by Bennett Miller
Starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman

Sony Pictures 2011 133 min Rated PG-13 Released Jan 10, 2012

Video:
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:
English, English SDH, French, Spanish

Discs:
50GB Blu-ray Disc
DVD Copy
BD-Live

The Film 4.5/5

Moneyball is a refreshing change from the usual type of sports movie. How many times have you watched the story of an underdog triumphing? How many movies introduce us to a controversial coach who is initially resented because of his methods and then revered by all when he succeeds? This story is certainly a celebration of success, but not in the typical sense. In fact, it asks us to define success.

It's based on the true story of how General Manager Billy Beane (Pitt) employed a new way of thinking in order to enable the Oakland Athletics to compete with the likes of the New York Yankees. He did this with just one third of the payroll of that available to the Yankees.The opening scenes show Beane negotiating with the team's owner. He knows that his payroll won't jump from $40 million to $120 million, but can he get a little more money to help the A's compete?

The first thing I was taught in my college marketing class was to define the problem. How you can analyze a problem if you don't know what it is? You won't solve anything until you know what you are trying to do. I find that I use the same technique in all areas of my life. If a friend needs help or advice, I ask a series of questions so that they can eventually define their own problem. It works. That's what Beane did at the start of Moneyball.

Beane's first move was to hire Peter Brand (Hill); an economics graduate from Yale. Instead of relying on traditional scouting methods, Brand used statistical analysis to determine the true value of baseball players. Instead of paying huge salaries based on a player's potential, he sought out value by considering players who were believed to have flaws. These might include injury or advancing age. Beane collaborated with Brand to assemble a team on a low budget. Departing stars were replaced with players who were a good fit for the team.

I have a strong connection with the film because the way Beane and Brand think reminds me of how I manage my Fantasy Football teams. Which players are good value because age or injury has changed people's perceptions of their true ability? How much are this year's top draft picks really going to be worth when compared to proven veterans? I make those determinations every year when I build my team. Beane and Brand think like I do, and we tend to like people who are similar to ourselves.

I rely on my own way of thinking rather than following conventional wisdom. That doesn't mean I will ignore everything, but I will question the opinions of others and decide whether I agree. It's something I have done my entire life and one reason I review movies. You might not agree with me, and that's absolutely fine, but at least you know that I'm not just repeating the opinions of others. Take a look at my thoughts on The Artist if you want an example.

Groupthink is a dangerous thing. I encounter it every year in my Fantasy Football leagues when the rankings of the "experts" all start to look the same. If you go against the grain, you'll have to be ready to defend your view. As a result, people are afraid to say what they really think or act on their true instincts. It also happens in the workplace. In fact, you can find examples of groupthink every day if you seek out opinions on the Internet on just about any topic.

Back to Moneyball.

Look at how Beane's scouts present their opinions. How many are really their opinions, and how many of them fail to think outside the established framework?

The dialogue is intelligent and full of humor. Some of the scenes, such as Beane pursuing trades with other teams, are quite exciting. Pitt and Hill work well together and are in most of the scenes. One source of conflict is Coach Art Howe (Hoffman). He's concerned about his own situation and future in the sport, and is reluctant to adopt Beane's desired strategy.

I enjoyed Moneyball because it was different and the story was told in an appealing way. I won't ruin the ending for those who don't remember whether the A's won the World Series, but I will say that the story doesn't show a huge amount of baseball action. This is about the people behind the scenes and the way in which they affected the sport.

Rarely has 133 minutes of Dialogue been so interesting. The time passes almost too quickly. I've seen Moneyball about six times since buying it in January, so there's no need to wonder about the replay value. From my ramblings in this review, you can see how thought-provoking the story can be.

***Spoiler Alert***

One final point I would like to consider is Beane's decision at the end of the film.

Most of us are trained at a very young age to chase success and be the best we can be. Success is usually defined as having a good job, a great salary, expensive and prestigious possessions, and a traditional family. If we reach any of our goals, we set new ones and want more. We always want more.

Beane's final decision mirrored his thoughts on baseball management. He considered what would truly make him happy. I don't see people thinking along those lines very often. We are trapped by the expectations of society. It's groupthink on a grand scale. Ask your friends what they dream of. How many mention money? That's the wrong answer. Money is a tool that helps you live the way you want to live, but it's not the overall goal. The goal is different for everyone and should be what makes you happy. Does your lifestyle actually allow you time to enjoy that happiness?

Would you have made the same choice as Beane?

Video Quality 4/5

Sony's presentation looks great for the most part. There's plenty of detail and depth. Colors appear accurate and well-defined. The only minor fault is the presence of noise in many of the scenes. It doesn't ruin the experience, but it's hard to dismiss it completely. The movie uses a few TV shots and some archive footage, and that's clearly of lesser quality than the majority of the presentation. That's purely intentional and no fault in the transfer.

Audio Quality 4/5

This is a story which relies more on dialog than anything else. It rises to the occasion when required, such as during baseball games, but it's fairly subtle overall.

Special Features 3/5

The extras are in full HD and offer just the right amount of content for those wanting more information:

Blooper: Brad Loses It (3:11) - A scene in which Pitt can't stop laughing at one of the lines delivered by Hill.

Deleted Scenes (12:05) - Three extended scenes which didn't make the final cut in their entirety.

Billy Beane: Re-Inventing the Game (16:02) - A discussion about Beane's impact on the game.

Drafting the Team (20:51) - A feature explaining the reasoning behind some of the casting decisions.

Adapting Moneyball (16:33) - Showing how Michael Lewis's book was adapted for the big screen.

MLB 12 The Show Preview Trailer (1:21)

Previews

BD-Live

Overall score 4.5/5

First i am a big Brad Pitt fan but this true story brings back many memories from when I used to watch baseball. Great acting by Jonah, and Brad Pitt. They seem to have a good chemistry and looked like they had fun making this movie. Even if you are not a baseball fan...you have to appreciate the underdog trying to change the way baseball teams are made.