It's hard for me to get a feel for what non-baseball fans will think of "Moneyball." As an avid baseball fan myself, I'm not turned off by a film that deals with detailed baseball statistics and players that the average filmgoer may never have heard of...not least because the film takes place nine years ago, which is a very long time in the sports world. But the film doesn't deal with in depth statistics as much as I expected; rather it focuses on an idea that even the most casual baseball fan can understand: in order to win games, you need to score runs. In order to score runs, you need to get men on base. That's the crux of this story that's one of the year's most entertaining.
The film opens in October 2001 as the Oakland Athletics are eliminated from the American League playoffs by the New York Yankees, who have a payroll of about $70 million more than the As. During the following offseason, the As lose their three best players (Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, and Jason Isringhausen) to teams that can afford to pay them more. At this point, As general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) begins to realize that since he simply can't outbid the big market franchises like the Yankees and Red Sox, he has to find ways to beat them on the field. Enter Peter Brandt (Jonah Hill), a Yale economics graduate who has developed a statistical program called sabermetrics that evaluates what is ultimately the most crucial stat for a baseball player: the ability to get on base, by whatever means necessary. Together Beane and Brandt begin to implement this program with the As, which leads to them signing a large group of unknown and castoff players. The old school scouts think this will make the team a laughingstock, as does manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who also doesn't relish Beane interfering by suggesting which players he field on gameday.
"Moneyball" is directed by Bennett Miller, who was nominated for an Oscar for "Capote." He and cinematographer Wally Pfister ("Batman Begins," "The Dark Knight," and "Inception," for which he won an Oscar) have created a film that's gorgeous to look at, but this is very much an actors film. Brad Pitt turns in what may be the best performance of his career as Beane. He simply commands every scene, whether its a rare locker room outburst or a quiet, introspective moment where he wonders if this never-before-tried system can actually work, or if he's just as crazy as everyone in the media says he is. Pitt also has some great scenes with Jonah Hill, particularly one where he makes rapidfire player trades over the phone, and another where Beane educates Brandt in the art of cutting players. He also has a few scenes with his ex-wife (Robin Wright) and their daughter (Kerris Dorsey), which, while they do feel a little forced, do help build his character. The same goes for a series of flashbacks detailing Beane's baseball past. Perhaps the film could have done without them, but they do help us to understand the man and his drive a little more. All in all, Pitt is just absolutely captivating and gives an absolutely Oscar-worthy performance.
Hill is also great as Brandt, a fictional character who is a compilation of the various consultants Beane hired as he implemented the sabermetrics system. Hill is obviously known for his comedy, but he plays this role completely straight and gives one of the year's most surprising performances. Hoffman is reliably great as the grumpy Art Howe, though I am beginning to feel like all his performances are quite similar. I'd love to see him stretch himself a bit more, as he certainly did with "Capote," for which he won the Best Actor Oscar. The script from Steven Zaillian ("Schindler's List") and Aaron Sorkin ("The Social Network") sizzles, but in doesn't have as much of the signature Sorkin dialogue, which for a film of this nature is probably a good thing.
Overall "Moneyball" is just a great, entertaining film. Baseball fans will love it, film fans will love it for the acting, and while the sports movie story has been done to death and is somewhat predictable, even if you don't know how the As 2002 season played out, it's still a great, entertaining time at the movies.
"Moneyball" is rated PG-13 for some strong language.
Running time: 133 minutes.
Released domestically on September 23, 2011, by Columbia Pictures.
3.5 stars out of 4.
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