MONEYBALL

MONEYBALL is based on a 2003 non-fiction book about Major League Baseball by Michael Woolf. The book detailed the story of how Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane was forced to change the way he built his teams when team’s owner refused to increase their salary base, which already was one of the lowest in baseball.
After making it to the playoffs, but losing, Oakland’s three star players have decided to leave Oakland for teams that will pay them much more money, like Boston or the Yankees. During a trip to the Cleveland Indians to trade for players during the off-season, Billy (played by Brad Pitt) meets a young statistical wizard employed by the Indians, Peter Brand (played by Jonah Hill). Peter nixes two trades Billy proposes with the Indians, so Billy talks privately with Peter to find out why. Peter, who has a degree in economics, tells Billy that for the hitters and pitchers, he calculates how many times they get on base and how many times the pitchers stop hitters from getting on base, instead of counting home runs or runs scored and judging the athlete’s physical appearance or personality.
Billy is impressed enough to hire Peter away from the Indians so he can employ his unique approach to picking players. Peter believes baseball teams overpay superstars, and that players who are less flashy but know how to get on base the most – even with walks instead of hits or home runs – are in fact the most valuable athletes to have on a team because being on base means potentially scoring.
The unlikely duo team up and overrule the team’s veteran scouts. Initially, they endure the mockery of the press for their player selections. With each player they choose, the two executives are offering a chance at redemption – not only for the players but, more significantly, for Billy himself after his own playing career collapsed a decade before.
The only problem is, Oakland’s coach hates the new players Billy has hired. So, he has no intention of taking advantage of Billy’s new methods and seeing if they work. Eventually, Billy and Peter are forced to take extreme measures to turn around the opinions of critics and skeptics, including some of their own players.
End titles reveal that the Boston Red Sox adopted Billy low-cost, high-passion approach and won the World Series two years later.
MONEYBALL is brilliantly acted and snappily written by ace screenwriters Steven Zaillian (SCHINDLER’S LIST) and Aaron Sorkin (THE SOCIAL NETWORK). Director Bennett Miller gives it a uniquely reflective feel throughout at points where one might expect heavy-handed, cliché-riddled ballpark action. As Billy learns the value of playing with heart more than playing for money, he also opts for the right decision in being a good father by staying in Oakland to raise his pre-teenage daughter, Casey (played by Kerris Dorsey in another fine performance). The scenes between him and his daughter are thoroughly heartwarming.
MONEYBALL shows it’s possible to treat people with decency and still succeed, and that even the seemingly weak among us are capable of great strengths. Its use of foul language is sporadic and somewhat limited, but still significant. The message is pro-capitalist, showing that the little guy can still compete with the big boys who have lots of cash to spend.
MONEYBALL is a refreshingly thoughtful film that media-wise teenagers and adults alike can both enjoy and learn from, but extreme caution is advised for the language problem.