Moneyball (film)

Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane is hurt 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 scouting 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 GM.

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

Oakland scouts are hostile toward the strategy, and Beane fires head scout Grady Fuson after he accuses Beane of destroying the team. Beane also faces opposition from Art Howe, 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 more traditional lineup that he prefers.

Early in the season, the Athletics are already 10 games behind first, 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 team owner Stephen Schott to stay the course. He trades away the lone traditional first baseman, Carlos Peña, to force Howe to use Hatteberg, making similar deals so Howe has no choice but to play the team Beane and Brand have designed. Three weeks later, the Athletics are only 4 games behind first.

Two months later, the team starts an amazing winning streak. Beane famously does not watch games, but when they tie the American League record of 19 consecutive wins, his daughter persuades him to attend the next game, against the Kansas City Royals. Oakland is leading 11–0 when Beane arrives in the fourth inning, only to watch the Royals even the score. Thanks to a walk-off home run by Hatteberg, the Athletics achieve a record-breaking 20th consecutive win. Beane tells Brand he will not be satisfied until they have "changed the game" by winning the World Series 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, John W. Henry, 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 professional sports history. He returns to Oakland, and two years later the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series using the model the Athletics pioneered.

• Brad Pitt as Billy Beane
• Jonah Hill as Peter Brand
• Philip Seymour Hoffman as Art Howe
• Robin Wright as Sharon
• Chris Pratt as Scott Hatteberg
• Stephen Bishop as David Justice
• Reed Diamond as Mark Shapiro
• Brent Jennings as Ron Washington
• Ken Medlock as Grady Fuson
• Tammy Blanchard as Elizabeth Hatteberg
• Jack McGee as John Poloni
• Vyto Ruginis as Chris Pittaro
• Nick Searcy as Matt Keough
• Glenn Morshower as Ron Hopkins
• Casey Bond as Chad Bradford
• Nick Porrazzo as Jeremy Giambi
• Kerris Dorsey as Casey Beane
• Arliss Howard as John Henry
• Takayo Fischer as Suzanne
• Derrin Ebert as Mike Magnante
• Miguel Mendoza as Ricardo Rincón
• Adrian Bellani as Carlos Peña
• Art Ortiz as Eric Chavez
• Royce Clayton as Miguel Tejada
• Marvin Horn as Terrence Long
• Brent Dohling as Mark Ellis

Film director Spike Jonze has a small uncredited role as Alán, Sharon's spouse.[4]

Stan Chervin developed the initial drafts of the screenplay after Columbia Pictures bought rights to Lewis's book in 2004.[5] It was filmed in Los Angeles, California.[6] 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.[7] Steven Soderbergh was subsequently signed to replace Frankel.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10]

On June 19, 2009, days before filming was set to begin, Sony put the picture on hold.[8][11] 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.[12] Aaron Sorkin wrote a third version of the screenplay.[8][12]

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.[13] 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.[14]

Filming began in July 2010.[15] Filming locations included Fenway Park, the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, Dodger Stadium and Blair Field,[16] 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.[17]

David Haglund of Slate and Jonah Keri of Grantland criticized the Moneyball film and book for excluding the pitchers Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito and position players such as Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada. These players were discovered via traditional scouting methods, and were key contributors to the success of the 2002 Athletics.[18]

Former Oakland A's manager Art Howe has spoken publicly about his disapproval of his portrayal.[19] Scott Hatteberg also said that Howe was portrayed inaccurately saying: "Art Howe was a huge supporter of mine. I never got the impression from him that I was not his first choice." He mentioned Howe and Beane had a "turbulent relationship".[20]

Moneyball premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2011,[21] 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.

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