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 Moneyball 

What grade would you give this film?
A 85%  85%  [ 11 ]
B 8%  8%  [ 1 ]
C 8%  8%  [ 1 ]
D 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
F 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Total votes : 13

 Moneyball 
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loyalfromlondon
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Post Moneyball
Moneyball

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Moneyball is a 2011 biographical sports drama film directed by Bennett Miller and starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt and Casey Bond. The film is based on Michael Lewis' 2003 book of the same name, itself based on the true story of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team. Moneyball focuses on Beane's attempts to assemble a competitive team for Oakland's 2002 season, despite the franchise's unfavorable financial situation, by using sophisticated statistical analyses of players. Pitt plays the lead role of Beane, with Hill portraying his assistant GM Peter Brand. Moneyball was featured at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and was released on September 23, 2011 to critical acclaim.

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Fri Sep 02, 2011 4:02 pm
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Post Re: Moneyball
My review: http://www.worldofkj.com/article.php?i=448

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Sat Sep 24, 2011 6:06 pm
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Post Re: Moneyball
Sharp and well-crafted. Blessed with strong behind-the-scenes work from Bennett Miller, Aaron Sorkin, and Steve Zaillian, Moneyball manages to take a topic (sabermetrics) that could potentially be...uncinematic...in the wrong hands and make a truly enjoyable film. As Billy Beane, Brad Pitt gives one of the best performances of his career. I'd be shocked if he didn't get an Oscar nomination for this; it's a performance full of charisma. Jonah Hill plays it straight and is perhaps surprisingly effective at it, and he develops a good rapport with Pitt. Really enjoyed it. A-


Sun Sep 25, 2011 6:03 pm
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Post Re: Moneyball
I know hardly anything about baseball and hardly care to, but Moneyball makes it interesting and involving. I did have one question though - if Jonah Hill's new methods were so game-changing for baseball, why didn't he get the credit instead of Pitt? Seemed like Hill had all the ideas the entire time.

B+


Sun Sep 25, 2011 7:37 pm
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Post Re: Moneyball
MG Casey wrote:
I know hardly anything about baseball and hardly care to, but Moneyball makes it interesting and involving. I did have one question though - if Jonah Hill's new methods were so game-changing for baseball, why didn't he get the credit instead of Pitt? Seemed like Hill had all the ideas the entire time.

B+


Because his methods were created by Bill James. Brandt (whose real name I can't remember) was the first to recognize that James' method was actually worth anything, but he wasn't in any sort of position of power. Beane gets the credit because he was the first to actually implement the method and suggestions into a full major league roster. Like a manager (or even moreso), the general manager is one of the first people to get blamed by writers, fans, experts, scouts, etc., if a team doesn't play well since he is the one who is in charge of putting the roster together. It's why we hear that voiceover at the end of the movie who sort of admits that "Moneyball" worked but still blames Beane for how the A's finished.

The guy who is second in charge of behind the scenes roster moves is never going to get the credit because he's not the one who makes the final decisions. Brandt could've bounced to any other job in baseball if the A's didn't do as well as they did. Beane on the other hand might have faded into baseball oblivion. Instead most general managers try to put together a roster like the A's did including the Red Sox and Yankees despite having the most expensive payrolls. Just like the epilogue mentions, the Red Sox went on to win two World Series thanks to "Moneyball". They had a bigger payroll than the A's and more star power, but the methods were in place (Bill James was also a consultant on the Red Sox).


As for the movie itself, I thought it was excellent. I'm a sucker for any movie that captures the romantic side of baseball and this one does it and then some. The scenes with Pitt lying on home plate and driving while listening to his daughter sing are perfect. I also thought the movie did a much better job than I expected it to of making the mechanics of putting together a team much more interesting than they had any right to be. The perfect example of this is the scene at the trading deadline with Brandt and Beane in Beane's office on the phone with the Giants. That scene is so well written and so well acted, even if it strays a little from being realistic (most teams usually have a staff working and not just one or two people), but that's not really a criticism as it is more of an observation. Zaillian and Sorkin are the main thrusts of the movie. If they don't get at least an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay I'll be extremely disappointed. Pitt and Hill give great performances, but they're the real reason why Moneyball is a fantastic movie and immediately joins the likes of The Natural, Bull Durham, and Field of Dreams for being the best baseball movies.

***** (A+)

Best movie of the year.

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Sun Sep 25, 2011 10:14 pm
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Post Re: Moneyball
Magnus wrote:
Jmart wrote:
Just like the epilogue mentions, the Red Sox went on to win two World Series thanks to "Moneyball"


Eh, mostly thanks to steroids of Manny and Big Papi.


Yep that won em' eight games in a row. They had no pitching whatsoever. And trading Normar Garciaparra, the face of baseball in Boston, for three (at the time) utility players wasn't an example of valuing statistics over star power. I'm sure bringing Bill James on as a consultant to the team during that time was also just a coincidence.

Who cares though since this is a movie about Billy Beane? If you want to discuss it further we can in the MLB thread because I think the majority of the people here won't give a shit about something that's only briefly mentioned for three seconds at the end of the film.

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Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:00 pm
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Post Re: Moneyball
You'll have to forgive me. I'm so used to arguing with Grill that I've forgotten how to converse with normal people about sports. :funny:

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Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:19 pm
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Post Re: Moneyball
Ah, thanks Jmart for clarifying it a little better. I totally agree public-wise, Beane should have got the credit as made the final decisions. On a personal level though, he didn't seem to give a lot thanks to Brandt for basically saving his career and making a name for himself as a manager. Just a minor grevious, still loved the movie. :thumbsup:


Mon Sep 26, 2011 12:20 am
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Post Re: Moneyball
Brandt is a fictitious person by the way. He is a fusion of a lot of advisors Beane had.

It's a very good movie. Not perfect, but which one is? I think they underused Seymour Hoffman. He probably took the role as a thank you to Miller, because it's not very meaty for an actor of his calibre.

Pitt is great and they found a good way to make the story work. Ia Aaron Sorkin the champion for computer nerds? One could argue that this movie is in some ways a continuation of The Social Network

On a side note: For a movie that went head over heels to get the events as close to reality as possible it is pretty embarassing to have Beanes daughter sing "The Show" by Lenka which came out seven years after the events of the movie


Tue Sep 27, 2011 7:39 am
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Post Re: Moneyball
Hill's character in the book is a real guy (Paul something), they just changed his name for the movie, possibly because they took some liberties (I've also heard he's an athletic guy and not a Jonah Hill esque non baseball type)

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Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:57 pm
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Post Re: Moneyball
Soderbergh wanted Demetri Martin for the role. Can't imagine him being as good as Hill. Martin's a very good comedian, but his big lead performance in Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock was underwhelming and flat.

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Thu Sep 29, 2011 10:51 pm
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Post Re: Moneyball
I didn't like it very much.

For a film so devoted to telling a story of changing the rules and going against tradition, it's remarkably flat and plain. It's not nearly as modernist as The Social Network (no surprise, since Bennett Miller isn't worthy of mention anywhere near David Fincher), and manages to turn a Sorkin script (or at least half of one) into a slow-moving and awkward work - something I didn't think possible. Pitt is fine, I guess, but Miller's insistence on turning this story into a part-biopic, part-underdog story, entirely too serious movie ultimately doesn't gel with his energetic performance. Basically, the film (and perhaps this is a problem with the book) gives far too much weight to something that, in the end, really doesn't mean anything. As Billy Beane himself says, "what's the point?".

Overall, it needed to be more light-hearted, with less scenes of Pitt remembering past traumas with his head in his hands. It's just a game, after all.

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Wed Oct 05, 2011 1:40 am
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Post Re: Moneyball
I thought Brad Pitt was amazing in this. Definitely an Oscar-worthy performance and his second great turn this year after The Tree Of Life. The script is sharp and fast-paced, and the supporting turns are all great as well. Highly recommended. A-


Thu Oct 06, 2011 10:11 am
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Post Re: Moneyball
It's very good, but a more fitting title would be "Billy Beane" instead of Moneyball, as it's mainly about Beane and his personal story - which isn't surprising considering that translates more to screen

My biggest complaint (other than "the Show" thing as Levy mentioned :o), is that Moneyball the book has a massive hole despite its entertainment. Neither the book or the movie mention the tiny little fact of the A's starting 3 pitchers (Hudson, Zito, Mulder) combining for 17.4 wins by WAR/Wins Above Replacement for 1.9 million because of the amateur rookie deals in the MLB. The movie also doesn't even mention they have the MVP of the league on their team (Miguel Tejada) and another star hitter (Chavez), combined for 9 wins on a relatively small 5.7 million. I understand the sneaky moves fit more with the Beane/Moneyball strategy, but still, it's a bit misleading - they make it feel like the entire team was Justice, Bradford and Hatteburg type castoffs when it really, really wasn't. What made the A's was kickass scouting some time before, which the ridiculed scouts at the beginning were actually responsible for

But since the movie is more about Beane and telling a good story anyways, it's not a huge deal.

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Mon Oct 10, 2011 1:30 pm
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Post Re: Moneyball
I saw this last week and really really enjoyed it. This is definitely one of Brad Pitt's best roles yet and he brought so much realism to the character. Jonah Hill surprised me with how good he was here, in fact the scenes between him and Pitt were the best of the film. Aaron Sorkin puts together another solid script, not as solid as The Social Network but still pretty darn good. [size=150]***1/2[/b]


Thu Oct 13, 2011 1:29 pm
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Post Re: Moneyball
Moneyball is a thoroughly entertaining little quasi-historical bauble - - who's not a sucker for a good 'ol underdog tale?!?


5 out of 5.


Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:50 pm
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Post Re: Moneyball
The best baseball movie ever. 5/5
Brad Pitt was excellent. I just rewatched Troy today and it uh kind of makes you appreciate his Moneyball performance. Jonah Hill was surprisingly good. Wally Pfister made it pretty! And Sorkin wrote a nice little script.

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Post Re: Moneyball
A solid film and would be well liked by anyone interested in baseball.

The ending was a letdown as the climax happens an hour hour before the film ends.

B+

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Post Re: Moneyball
trixster wrote:
Pitt is fine, I guess, but Miller's insistence on turning this story into a part-biopic, part-underdog story, entirely too serious movie ultimately doesn't gel with his energetic performance. Basically, the film (and perhaps this is a problem with the book) gives far too much weight to something that, in the end, really doesn't mean anything.


Just that it changed the way an entire sport has been run for the past decade.

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It's just a game, after all.


To anyone that's never played. Of course for people like Beane even though they know and are able to recognize it's just a game, it's also their very livelihood. Being in and around baseball is the only thing he knows how to do.

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Post Re: Moneyball
trixster wrote:
I didn't like it very much.

For a film so devoted to telling a story of changing the rules and going against tradition, it's remarkably flat and plain. It's not nearly as modernist as The Social Network (no surprise, since Bennett Miller isn't worthy of mention anywhere near David Fincher), and manages to turn a Sorkin script (or at least half of one) into a slow-moving and awkward work - something I didn't think possible. Pitt is fine, I guess, but Miller's insistence on turning this story into a part-biopic, part-underdog story, entirely too serious movie ultimately doesn't gel with his energetic performance. Basically, the film (and perhaps this is a problem with the book) gives far too much weight to something that, in the end, really doesn't mean anything. As Billy Beane himself says, "what's the point?".

Overall, it needed to be more light-hearted, with less scenes of Pitt remembering past traumas with his head in his hands. It's just a game, after all.


These are almost exactly my thoughts. My least favorite BP nominee this year. Thing is, I just absolutely don't care about baseball OR statistics and even less about baseball statistics. The movie didn't change that. And Hill's nominaton is silly. Pitt and the score are the best thing about it.

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Post Re: Moneyball
:wacko:

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Post Re: Moneyball
I thought it was terrific. I wouldn't mind if it would take home some awards tonight. A


Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:05 am
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Post Re: Moneyball
I bought what they were selling on this one. I was enthralled start to finish, with no knowledge of Billy Beane, the As, or the real person/people upon which the Brand character was based.

I think it's silly to say that a lot of it was made up or enhanced beyond the "true" aspects. That's just overstating the obvious. Movies are more exciting than real life.

***1/2 / ****

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Post Re: Moneyball
Magnus wrote:
But it really doesn't show that at all (in terms of the sport-wide level).


It shows the A's 20 game win streak and them getting into the playoffs. That and the entire last act, including text. How did the scene with Beane meeting the Red Sox brass not show how it affected it at a sport-wide level? Or how the scouts first reacted to Beane?

I guess what I should of said is how it does that it changed the entire mentality of how teams thought and went about creating their rosters.

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And it SIGNIFICANTLY overstates how much it actually helped that As team.


That I'd agree with.

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The film works as a personal story about Beane, not as a film about sabermetrics.


No shit. :funny: It's a movie.

Next you're going to tell me that The Social Network was about the programs that went into creating Facebook.

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Sun Feb 26, 2012 3:05 pm
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Post Re: Moneyball
And Citizen Kane did a terrible job of showing the effects of publishing a daily newspaper. Awful movie.

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