Moneyball (film)

Moneyball
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Bennett Miller
Produced by
Screenplay by
Story by Stan Chervin
Based on Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
by Michael Lewis
Starring
Music by Mychael Danna
Cinematography Wally Pfister
Edited by Christopher Tellefsen
Production
company
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • September 9, 2011 (2011-09-09) (TIFF)
  • September 23, 2011 (2011-09-23) (United States)
Running time
 133 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $50 million[2]
Box office $110.2 million[3]

Moneyball is a 2011 American sports film directed by Bennett Miller and written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. The film is based on Michael Lewis's 2003 nonfiction book of the same name, an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team's 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane's attempts to assemble a competitive team.

In the film, Beane (Brad Pitt) and assistant GM Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), faced with the franchise's limited budget for players, build a team of undervalued talent by taking a sophisticated sabermetric approach to scouting and analyzing players. Columbia Pictures bought the rights to Lewis's book in 2004.[4]

Moneyball premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival[5] and was released on September 23, 2011 to box office success and critical acclaim. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor for Pitt and Best Supporting Actor for Hill.

Plot

Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane is upset by his team's loss to the New York Yankees in the 2001 American League Division Series. With the impending departure of star players Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi, and Jason Isringhausen to free agency, Beane needs to assemble a competitive team for 2002 with Oakland's limited budget.

During a visit to the Cleveland Indians, Beane meets Peter Brand, a young Yale economics graduate with radical ideas about how to assess player value. Beane tests Brand's theory by asking whether he would have drafted Beane out of high school; though scouts considered Beane hugely promising, his career in the major leagues was disappointing. Brand admits that, based on his method of assessing player value, he would not have drafted him until the ninth round. Impressed, Beane hires Brand as his assistant manager.

Rather than relying on scouts' experience and intuition, Brand uses sabermetrics, selecting players based on their on-base percentage (OBP). Brand and Beane hire undervalued players such as unorthodox submarine pitcher Chad Bradford, aging outfielder David Justice, and an injured catcher, Scott Hatteberg.

Oakland scouts are hostile toward the strategy, and Beane fires one, Grady Fuson, after he accuses him of destroying the team. Beane also faces opposition from Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the Athletics' manager. With tensions already high between them due to a contract dispute, Howe disregards Beane's and Brand's strategy and plays a lineup he prefers.

Early in the season, the Athletics fare poorly, leading critics to dismiss the new method as a failure. Brand argues their sample size is too small to conclude the method does not work, and Beane convinces the owner to stay the course. He trades away the lone traditional first baseman, Carlos Peña, to force Howe to use Hatteberg, threatening to make similar deals if Howe does not cooperate.

The Athletics win 19 consecutive games, tying the longest winning streak in American League history. Though Beane does not watch games, his young daughter persuades him to attend the next game, against the Kansas City Royals, when Oakland is leading 11–0 after the third inning. Beane arrives in the fourth inning, only to watch the team falter and allow the Royals to even the score. Thanks to a walk-off home run by Hatteberg, the Athletics win a record-breaking 20th consecutive win. Beane tells Brand he will not be satisfied until they have "changed the game" by winning the championship using their system.

The Athletics eventually clinch the 2002 American League West title but lose to the Minnesota Twins in the 2002 American League Division Series. Beane is contacted by the owner of the Boston Red Sox, who realizes that sabermetrics is the future of baseball. Beane declines an offer to become the Red Sox general manager, despite the $12.5 million salary, which would have made him the highest-paid general manager in history. He returns to Oakland. Two years later, the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series using the model the Athletics pioneered.

Cast

Cast notes

Production

Stan Chervin developed the initial drafts of the screenplay after Columbia Pictures bought rights to Lewis's book in 2004. It was filmed in Los Angeles, California.[10] Once Brad Pitt committed to the project in 2007, Chervin dropped out. Steve Zaillian was signed to write a second screenplay, and David Frankel was signed to direct.[11] Steven Soderbergh was subsequently signed to replace Frankel.[12] Demetri Martin was cast to portray the role of Paul DePodesta, Beane's top assistant. Former Athletics Scott Hatteberg and David Justice were slated to play themselves in the movie.[13] When asked how the film would dramatize and make entertaining a book about statistics, Soderbergh said:

I think we have a way in, making it visual and making it funny. I want it to be really funny and entertaining, and I want you to not realize how much information is being thrown at you because you're having fun. We've found a couple of ideas on how to bust the form a bit, in order for all that information to reach you in a way that's a little oblique.[14]

On June 19, 2009, days before filming was set to begin, Sony put the picture on hold.[12][15] Soderbergh's plan for the film called for elements considered non-traditional for a sports movie, such as interviews with real-life players. Soderbergh was dismissed and ultimately replaced by Bennett Miller.[16] Aaron Sorkin wrote a third version of the screenplay.[12][16]

Miller hired Ken Medlock, a former minor league baseball player and actor who plays scout Grady Fuson, as a technical advisor. Medlock invited professional scout Artie Harris to lend Medlock credibility. Harris, himself a self-styled "old-fashioned scout", subsequently auditioned for and obtained a role in the film as a scout who typically disregards sabermetrics.[17] Baseball figures, including scout Phil Pote and baseball coaches and managers George Vranau and Barry Moss, were cast in supporting roles.

With Martin no longer involved, Jonah Hill was cast to play DePodesta. However, feeling the character was becoming fictional, DePodesta requested his name not be used but continued to assist the filmmakers. Hill's role was transformed into a composite character, named Peter Brand.[18]

Filming began in July 2010.[19] Filming locations included Fenway Park, the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, Dodger Stadium and Blair Field,[20] while studio shooting took place at Sony's Culver City studios. During principal photography scenes featuring Kathryn Morris as Beane's second wife were shot; none made it to the final cut.[21]

Accuracy

While mostly accurate, the film alters history at points.

  • In the film, Carlos Peña is Oakland's starting first baseman from Opening Day until he was traded to the Detroit Tigers in early July. In fact, while Peña did start at first base during April and May, he lost that position to Scott Hatteberg on June 1, and was playing for Oakland's AAA team when he was traded.[22][23]
  • Early in the film, it is suggested that right-handed pitcher Chad Bradford was picked up by Oakland at the urging of Peter Brand. Bradford stops Beane in the clubhouse on Opening Day to thank him for the opportunity, a moment that clearly indicates that Bradford is just starting his stint with the A's. In fact, Bradford pitched for Oakland the previous season after being traded to the A's from the Chicago White Sox on December 7, 2000.[24] Bradford, during the 2001 season, was mainly used as a late reliever and set-up man.[25]
  • It is also mentioned that Jeremy Giambi was chosen to be one of the three players, along with Scott Hatteberg and David Justice, to replace his brother, Jason, Johnny Damon and Jason Isringhausen in the 2002 lineup, when in fact he was picked up in 2000 and was part of the famous "flip play" in the 2001 ALDS vs. the New York Yankees.
  • In the scene where Beane is talking about replacing Giambi, Damon, and Olmedo Saenz, for three players with an average OBP of .364, in reality Olmedo Saenz was on the 2002 A's.
  • David Haglund of Slate and Jonah Keri of Grantland have both criticized the film, and the book it is based upon, for glossing over key young talent acquired through the draft and signed internationally. Specifically, they have argued that the book ignores the pitching trio of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito, as well as position players such as Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada, all of whom were discovered via traditional scouting methodology and were key contributors to the success of the 2002 Athletics. In 2002, Barry Zito received the AL Cy Young Award and Miguel Tejada received the AL MVP Award. [26][27]
  • Former Oakland A's manager Art Howe has spoken out publicly about his disapproval of how he was portrayed in the film.[28] The story shows Howe as a stubborn manager who, contrary to Beane's wishes, refused to use Bradford out of the bullpen or to start Hatteberg at first base. In fact, Bradford was used regularly out of the bullpen in early 2002, just as he had been in 2001, when he logged 75 innings primarily as a late reliever or set-up man for Billy Koch, the A's primary closer.[29][30] Scott Hatteberg has also stated publicly that Howe was portrayed inaccurately. He is quoted in an interview as saying, "Art Howe was a huge supporter of mine. I never got the impression from him that I was not his first choice." Later in the interview, Hatteberg mentions that "there was that turbulent relationship" between Howe and Beane.[31]
  • The song "The Show" by Lenka was anachronistically covered by Kerris Dorsey as it was actually released in 2008, six years following the film's events.

Soundtrack

Soundtrack list

Release

Moneyball premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2011 and was released theatrically on September 23, 2011, by Columbia Pictures. The film was also released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 10, 2012 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Box office

Moneyball grossed $75.6 million in the United States and Canada and $34.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $110.2 million, against a production budget of $50 million.[3]

The film grossed $19.5 million from 2,993 theaters in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office behind the 3D re-release of The Lion King.[32] In its second weekend it grossed $12 million (a drop of only 38.3%), again finishing second.[33]

Critical response

Moneyball received critical acclaim, with Pitt's performance receiving strong praise. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 94% based on 244 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Director Bennett Miller, along with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, take a niche subject and turn it into a sharp, funny, and touching portrait worthy of baseball lore".[34] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 87 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[35]

Richard Roeper gave Moneyball a grade of an "A", saying that the film was a "geek-stats book turned into a movie with a lot of heart".[36] Former Green Bay Packers vice president Andrew Brandt stated that the film "persuasively exposed front office tension between competing scouting applications: the old school "eye-balling" of players and newer models of data-driven statistical analysis ... Moneyball—both the book and the movie—will become a time capsule for the business of sports".[37]

Top ten lists

The film appeared on the following critics' top ten lists for the best films of 2011:

Critic Publication Rank
Rene RodriguezMiami Herald1st[38]
Lisa KennedyDenver Post1st[38]
Michael PhillipsChicago Tribune2nd[38]
Satya Nagendra PadalaInternational Business Times2nd[39]
Ann HornadayThe Washington Post3rd[40]
Elizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily News3rd[38]
Peter TraversRolling Stone4th[41]
David FearTime Out New York4th[38]
N/ATV Guide6th[38]
Joe NeumaierNew York Daily News6th[38]
Marshall FineHollywood & Fine6th[38]
Betsy SharkeyLos Angeles Times7th[38]
Robbie CollinThe Telegraph8th[38]
Lisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment Weekly8th[38]
Dave McCoyMSN Movies8th[38]
Kim LorganMSN Movies8th[38]
Richard T. JamesonMSN Movies10th[38]
Stephen HoldenThe New York Times10th[38]
Karina LongworthThe Village Voice10th[38]

Accolades

References

  1. ↑ "Moneyball (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. September 5, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  2. ↑ Kaufman, Amy (September 22, 2011). "Movie Projector: Brad Pitt vs. 'Lion King,' 'Dolphin Tale' for No.1". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Moneyball (2011)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  4. ↑ Shea, John (October 18, 2008). "Beane a sex symbol in 'Moneyball' movie?". SFGate.com. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  5. ↑ "TIFF 2011: U2, Brad Pitt, George Clooney Films Featured At 2011 Toronto International Film Festival". The Huffington Post. July 26, 2006. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  6. ↑ Costa, Brian (September 16, 2011). "The Man Not Named in 'Moneyball' - WSJ.com". Online.WSJ.com. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Bill Plaschke: Paul DePodesta is captured to a tee in film 'Moneyball' - Los Angeles Times". Articles.LATimes.com. September 20, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  8. ↑ Good, Owen (August 6, 2011). "Hooray! Now We Know Why Bobby Kotick is in that Brad Pitt Movie". Kotaku.
  9. ↑ Demetri Martin Cast in Steven Soderbergh's Moneyball - /Film. Slashfilm.com (April 21, 2009). Retrieved on 2014-05-22.
  10. ↑ "Moneyball Overview". Imdb. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  11. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (October 16, 2008). "Columbia pitches Moneyball to Pitt". Variety. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  12. 1 2 3 Ditzian, Eric (September 23, 2011). "'Moneyball' Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know". MTV Movie News. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  13. ↑ Stiglich, Joe. "A's notebook: Lights, camera, action ... for Moneyball," InsideBayArea.com (May 26, 2009).
  14. ↑ "Steven Soderbergh: The Girlfriend Experience". SuicideGirls.com. 21 May 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2009.
  15. ↑ (June 21, 2009). "Production On Moneyball Film Halted". LATimes.com. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  16. 1 2 (April 12, 2010). "Finally, It's Batter Up For 'Moneyball'". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Dodgers scout has bit role in Moneyball". Dodgers.MLB.com. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  18. ↑ Barshad, Amos (August 5, 2010). "If It's Cool With Everyone, Paul DePodesta Would Really Rather Jonah Hill Not Use His Name in Moneyball". NYMag.com. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  19. ↑ (July 30, 2010). "'Moneyball' shoot brings back memories". SFGate.com. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  20. ↑ Ugland, Devin (October 3, 2011). "Brad Pitt's 'Moneyball' shot at Blair Field". Daily 49er. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  21. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (May 30, 2012). "Kathryn Morris gets 'Discarded'". Variety. Retrieved January 23, 2013. Morris...played Brad Pitt's second wife in Sony's Moneyball, though her scenes were cut from the film.
  22. ↑ "Scott Hatteberg (2002 Batting Gamelog)". Baseball-Reference.com. n.d. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Carlos Peña (Minors Batting)". Baseball-Reference.com. n.d. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Chad Bradford (Transactions)". Baseball-Reference.com. n.d. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  25. ↑ "Chad Bradford (2001 Pitching Gamelog)". Baseball-Reference.com. n.d. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  26. ↑ "More Moneyball, Same Problems". Slate. 2011-09-21. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  27. ↑ "Baseball's Big Three: A Look Back at Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito in Oakland". Grantland. 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  28. ↑ "Howe upset with 'Moneyball' portrayal". Fox Sports. September 27, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  29. ↑ "Chad Bradford (2002 Pitching Gamelog)". Baseball-Reference.com. n.d. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  30. ↑ "2002 Oakland A's". Baseball-Reference.com. n.d. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  31. ↑ "Real Life 'Moneyball' Major Leaguer Scott Hatteberg on the Facts and Fiction of the New Film". moviefone.com. September 21, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  32. ↑ "Weekend Box Office: September 23-25, 2011". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Weekend Box Office: September 30-October 1, 2011". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Moneyball". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixter. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  35. ↑ "Moneyball". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  36. ↑ "Moneyball". RichardRoeper.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  37. ↑ Brandt, Andrew (April 16, 2014). "'Draft Day' Reality Checks". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Dietz, Jason (December 8, 2011). "2011 Film Critic Top Ten Lists [Updated Dec. 22]". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
  39. ↑ Satya Nagendra Padala (November 25, 2011). "Top 10 Best Movies of 2011". International Business Times. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  40. ↑ Hornaday, Ann (December 10, 2011). "Ann Hornaday's best films of 2011". The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
  41. ↑ Travers, Peter (December 8, 2011). "10 Best Movies of 2011: Moneyball". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
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