Moneyball

Finally, a baseball movie for baseball fans. Plus you find out early on what an "ugly girlfriend" is in baseball lexicon. Yes, much has been made about the historical inaccuracies of Moneyball along with the fact the film ignores the contributions of Barry Zito (Cy Young) and Miguel Tejada (MVP) to the 2002 A's, but it's still that rare baseball film that actually gets into the nuts and bolts of the game instead of the surface dressing and symbolism of baseball. ("The Natural" has as much to do with real baseball as does "Harry Potter").  It touches on scouting, trade negotiations and the manager/general manager dynamic you won't see in many if any baseball flicks.

Brad Pitt's portrayal of Beane isn't quite Tyler Durden meets Theo Epstein, but there are occasional glimpses of Pitt's career-defining performance as Durden in his performance of the A's single-minded GM. I appreciated that Pitt didn't play the role sympathetically and made Beane an abrupt, brooding loner. Jonah Hill's venture into drama is more hit-or-miss, he's funny but the humor is mainly derived from his reactions to others, his character of Peter Brand (based on Paul Depodesta, who ironically is now with the Mets, the team Beane first played for the in majors) could have had a bit more personality and still not clashed with Pitt. Philip Seymour Hoffman is better as A's skipper Art Howe than he's getting credit for and the conflicts between him and Pitt were some of the best character interaction in the film and provided rare dramatic tension. That struggle for power between Howe and Beane could have been further developed when the media started crediting Howe for the 2002 A's record-setting winning streak, but the film bypasses that with just a passing reference.    

Never thought I'd see a major motion picture from Sony focusing on...Scott Hatteberg (Chris Pratt), including visiting the Hatteberg home on New Year's Eve. But 'Hatty' becomes a sort of an emblem of the Moneyball philosophy and it all ties together when Hatteberg hits the game-winning homer that seals the A's 20th consecutive victory in 2002, the 'high water mark' for Beane's 2000-03 Moneyball run, a team that lost 4 straight postseason series (although the 2006 A's did actually win the first round of the playoffs).

The flashbacks to Beane's early years as a high school phenom and later bust for the Mets/Twins/A's in the 1980's as the worst player on a lot of great teams are effective and give the film a larger and yet more personal context than just focusing on the 2002 A's payroll. Pitt's relationship with his daughter Casey (Kerris Dorsey) works, and we even see the musical bond between them (in real life, Billy and Casey have gone to punk rock shows together, though the only nod to punk in the film is a Clash poster in Billy's office).

Director Bennett Miller has made a solid baseball movie with genuine emotions, though neither the suspense of the game or Beane's persona/inner demons overwhelm the viewer, but at least you know to avoid drafting a prospective player with an "ugly girlfriend".  Give Moneyball 4 out of 5 Alvin Dark baseball gloves.