My Review of Moneyball

So, from the title I suppose you've guessed that I saw "Money Ball" last week. Let me start this post by saying that I don't normally write reviews, and I tend to be very opinionated about films, so my commentary can be a little strong at times. For this post, however, I will try to keep it as light as possible, in my attempt to tell you about a very solid film.

For those who don't know, Money Ball is a movie based on a book (Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game), which chronicles Oakland A's GM Billy Beane as he tries to rebuild a professional baseball team with a budget that is probably actually less than what it cost to produce and promote the movie. It's all based on real events, real players... you get the picture. Anyway, at the surface, it's a movie about the economics of pro baseball, and even I was afraid going in that it would be a snoozer. Not so much, it seems, somebody, somewhere remembered at the end of the day, this is a sports movie, and therefore should also be fun and enjoyable. Now for those who read the book, the movie isn't as much about statistics and scouting, though these are the very root of the entire film. Instead the movie focuses primarily on Beane and the A's following their 2001 dismantling due to the fact that they only had an operating budget of $41 million (compared to the Yankee's $125 million). Much like the characters in the film, Money Ball is not a traditional sports film, it's not as much about the baseball on the field (though there is enough of that to keep the purists happy) but more about what goes on behind the scenes, in scouting meetings, locker rooms and front offices.

Of course at its root, Money Ball is a love story. It's a story about a man who is torn between two loves; the love of his daughter and the love of a game that has been his entire life. Don't get me wrong, the stuff about OBP and walks combined with runs per 9 innings and how that equates to wins is very interesting. I think the performances of Philip Seymour Hoffman as Art Howe and Jonah Hill as the fictional Peter Brand give solid performances, as do Chris Pratt and Stephen Bishop. However, it's the "love story" that seals the deal here. Whether the father/daughter relationship is a Hollywood fabrication, or if it's 100% truthful, I have no idea, but the scenes between Pitt and Kerris Dorsey, who plays Beane's daughter Casey, are solid, touching and serve to ground the story in reality.

The subtle beauty of Moneyball

Of course, when you get right to it, this is a baseball movie, and it's Pitt's depiction of Beane's love of the game that really allows this movie to succeed. In some of the best scenes in the movie, Pitt says nothing; he merely walks the stands of the Oakland Coliseum, strolls through the empty locker room, or simply lies in the outfield grass. Anyone who has ever played a sport, or loved a game so much, it's these little things that get taken for granted. I know ever fall, I sometimes catch the smell of fresh cut grass on a cool day and my mind suddenly has a football flash back. Yes, it's this collection of subtle visuals that lift this movie from pedestrian to very good.

I say, if you enjoy a good movie, and want to see something entertaining that should not get an Oscar nod, but probably will because of the people attached; then check this one out. However, if you are a baseball fan, or just a sports fan in general, this is a must see, the story, the performances, the tone of the subject matter combine making this the most earnest sports movie since "Bull Durham," and that's saying something.

JLP