Movie Review: MONEYBALL - A Home Run in Theaters now

Movie Review: MONEYBALL - A Home Run in Theaters now

Michael Lewis? 2003 non-fiction bestseller MONEYBALL doesn?t necessarily read like a book thatis destined for the big screen. Then again, neither did the author?s 2006 book?THE BLIND SIDE?and Hollywood still managed to turn that, not only into a blockbuster, but an Oscar nominee for best picture.One man who did see the book?s cinematic potential is star Brad Pitt, a guy who definitely has enough clout in Hollywood these days to get a project green lit. That?s fortunate for movie-goers, because MONEYBALL proves to be an engrossing sports drama, as well as an intriguing character study.

The movie focuses on Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics. Following the 2001 season in which the A?s made it to the playoffs as a wild card before being eliminated by the New York Yankees, Beane can only watch helplessly as his three star players are stolen away by the east coast teams and their big pocket books. Knowing that he will never be able to replace his superstars on his budget using the conventional means, Beane turns to a young economics major named Peter Brand to help him change the whole system.

While his veteran scouts focus more on the superficial aspects of potential players (?He?s got an ugly girlfriend?means he?s got no confidence?), Beane and Brand look at their statistics. Namely, how many times does a player get on base? It may sound like an obvious solution?after all, statistics have been a major part of baseball since the 1800s?but as strange as it may seem, statistics were not used much as a scouting tool prior to the 2002 Athletics. This novel concept was even rejected by the A?s manager Art Howe, who refused to play the seemingly worthless players his general manager had presented him with. Of course, as general manager, Beane has the tools at his disposal to make it so his manager doesn?t have any other choice. The result is a playoff bound A?s team that set the record for most consecutive winsalong the way.

Much like with THE BLIND SIDE, Hollywood managed to take a non-fiction sports novel and turn it into an inspirational drama. Unfortunately for Beane and the Oakland Athletics, the deep pocketed teams across the country stole his ideas just the way they did his players and it is they who are truly reaping the benefits of the Moneyball system. Still, the story of the 2002 A?s is an inspirational underdog story and an entertaining one.

When the movie is not using archival footage, the action on the field is very stylized. But this movie is not so much about the action on the field, than it is the man behind the curtain. The movie uses flashbacks to tell Billy Beane?s backstory; the story of a ?five tool prospect? signed directly out of highschool, who never quite figured it out as a major league ballplayer. He then worked his way up through the scout ranks to become the A?s general manager, maybe the least prestigious job of its kind in major league baseball due to the low payroll.

As Beane, Brad Pitt delivers a remarkable performance that should not be undervalued. Constantly eating junk food the way he did in OCEAN'S ELEVEN and its sequels, Pitt carries this movie on his back. It is hard to take your eyes off the actor and, in this case, it is not because of his looks. His best scenes come when he is working the phones at the trading deadline, or introducing the veteran scouts to the new way of doing things.

The movie inevitably loses some steam towards the end as Pitt and director Bennett Miller have the unenviable task of trying to tell the story of what happens beyond the climax of the movie/season. One wonders if it would have been better for the film to end on a high note and then use a brief, written epilogue to inform the audience of the goings on beyond that point. If they had, however, the character?study would not have been as fully developed and there are key elements in that final act that tell a lotabout Beane, the person. And after all, this is his story; the story of a man who changed the game of baseball, but is still waiting to win that final game.

MONEYBALL is rated PG-13 for ?some strong language.? I suppose there was some language, but this movie is pretty tame and close to what youmight call a ?family movie?.

Courtesy of a local publicist, Jeff attended a promotional screening of Moneyball.

Source: http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=1866&src=rss

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