Truth may be stranger than fiction, but when the sports world is shaken by a methodology that will revolutionize the business of baseball, it becomes an amazing story born out of need. Adapted from the Michael Lewis’ bestseller by Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List) and directed by Bennett Miller (Capote), Moneyball is a fascinating look at how the sport of baseball was turned on its head and its implications that reverberate to this day. It’s also about the bond a father has with his daughter that is stronger than any contract.
In 2001, Oakland Athletics general manager and former player Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is trying to keep his star players from being bought by financially wealthier teams like the New York Yankees. Desperate to field a winning team with a hopelessly limited budget, he happens upon an analyst for the Cleveland Indians named Peter Brand (a winning Jonah Hill) who has statistics to back up his theory that the best players are not necessarily the costliest ones. Rather than compete with the big teams, Beane realizes that the underrated players who are statistically on base the most will translate into runs scored and ultimately wins. The remarkable thing is that these players can be obtained at bargain basement salaries. The concept goes against conventional wisdom and immediately creates friction among the veteran scouts and even the A’s manager (played to perfection by Philip Seymour Hoffman). A former star recruit himself, Beane blew his chance for stardom at an early age and is now sharing custody of his teenage daughter with his ex-wife (Robin Wright). He loves his girl and fears that losing his job will force him to move farther away from her. As the team begins to show signs of becoming a winning organization, a remarkable string of wins begins that will make history and have far reaching consequences for the game of baseball.
This is one of the best roles Pitt has ever had. The dialogue is perfectly suited to him, and he delivers flawlessly. It’s the kind of role you could easily picture with a younger Robert Redford. When he says things that stun his personnel staff by deviating from common practice and status quo, it is a hoot. I mean he really shakes things up because he is willing to try just about anything to win games, and it also means changing a culture of losing into a winning attitude. Just watching the negotiations and deal making behind the scenes is fascinating. You also get a realistic perspective from the clubhouse as players come and go, but these are people too with families, and the film does not shortchange this point of view.
What elevates this film from its novel plotline is the genuine relationship between Billy and his daughter that influences his priorities. He isn’t just a general manager but a father, and the film never loses this perspective to its credit. When the team’s fortunes change dramatically by the end, an astonishing opportunity presents itself to Billy that puts him at a career crossroads, and the baseball world takes notice.
Even non-baseball enthusiasts may find this a fascinating story because it is character driven with strong performances by its cast. (Sports movies get made with semi-regularity, but when did a studio make a film about personnel management of a major sports team?) When you think about the recent championship success of teams like the Boston Red Sox and look at this film, the connections are mind boggling. And while this new age in personnel management is a story onto itself, the one constant through it all is a father’s love for his daughter. Top notch all the way.
**** of ****stars
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