In 1961, Paul Newman starred as pool shark Fast Eddie Felson in “The Hustler.” On the surface, it appears the movie is about hustling people for money. However, the game of pool merely provides a backdrop for Felson’s redemptive climb from arrogant jerk to decent human being.
In 2011, Brad Pitt is starring as Billy Beane, the real life general manager of the Oakland Athletics. On the surface, it appears the movie is about baseball. However, America’s sport merely provides a backdrop for a true story about the resolve it takes to innovate when the world is stuck in a rut. Because of this, “Moneyball” will appeal to more than just baseball fans. However, it might disappoint viewers who go in expecting a traditional sports movie, as Beane does not secure a championship. Rather, the victory it chronicles is that of a man who did something no one thought possible: change the game of baseball.
“Moneyball” opens at the end of the 2001 season with the A’s losing to the New York Yankees in postseason play and then bidding farewell to three star players. As GM, Beane must replace the skilled but expensive team members on a shoestring budget. “There are rich teams, there are poor teams, there’s 50 feet of crap and then there’s us,” he tells his scouts. Beane grows annoyed with the men when they instinctively turn to long-established strategies for putting together a winning team. “He’s got an ugly girlfriend, which means he lacks confidence,” one scout opines about a possible recruit.
While in Cleveland to discuss potential trades, Beane meets Peter Brand, an economics graduate from Yale. Brand has radical ideas about how to assess the worth of a player through mathematics.
Seeing that the approach would allow him to identify undervalued players and then hire them for a fraction of what an accomplished athlete costs, Beane makes Brand his assistant GM. Beane’s scouts initially dismiss his new approach, but then become hostile as they realize he’s threatening their way of life. Meanwhile, Beane has to deal with a quick drop to last place as the 2002 season begins and a cantankerous manager who refuses to play the line-up he wants. Beane is also battling his ghosts. Once a promising ball player, he turned down a full scholarship to Stanford to become a handsomely paid New York Met. He then struggled and was bounced from team to team until he ended up at the A’s, where he begged to become a scout. Beane also has a 12-year-old daughter who lives with her mother and stepdad. Although he’s driven to make a difference, his failures haunt him.
But Beane’s resolve is strong, so he begins making bold moves that rankle his staff. The tactics work, though, and the A’s begin a historic climb in the standings that culminates in a record-setting 20-game winning streak. All of this really happened, although Brand is actually based on a Harvard graduate named Paul DePodesta. However, while the geeky math, the winning streak and the locker-room drama are entertaining, Pitt’s brilliant character study of Beane elevates “Moneyball” to Oscar-worthy material. Under the direction of Bennett Miller, Pitt superbly conveys Beane’s pathos, passion and drive.
Following the 2002 season, Beane turned down an (ironic) eight-figure offer to become the GM of the Boston Red Socks. “Moneyball” suggests his decision was based on a desire to continue living close to his daughter. Interestingly, the Red Socks adopted his methods in 2003, and in 2004, broke the Curse of the Bambino.
“Moneyball” also benefits from a solid performance by Jonah Hill as Brand and tight direction by Miller. The latter’s perceptive work changed my view of baseball, which seems to be more about behind-the-scenes machinations than anything else. If the movie is accurate, then owners and managers treat ball players less like human beings and more like commodities. “Moneyball” is a captivating drama that finds inspiration in the story of a man who changed the establishment. There are plenty of movies out there that end with a rousing championship win, but if you’re in the mood for something deeper, this is the one to see.
Rated PG-13 for strong language. Three-and-a-half stars out of four. Email David Laprad at daprad@hamiltoncountyherald.com.