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Moneyball (film)

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Moneyball
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBennett Miller
Screenplay by
Story byStan Chervin
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyWally Pfister
Edited byChristopher Tellefsen
Music byMychael Danna
Production
companies
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release dates
  • September 9, 2011 (2011-09-09) (Toronto International Film Festival)
  • September 23, 2011 (2011-09-23) (United States)
Running time
133 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50 million[2]
Box office$110.2 million[3]

Moneyball is an American 2011 biographical sports drama film directed by Bennett Miller from a screenplay 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 unfavorable financial situation, take a sophisticated sabermetric approach towards scouting and analyzing players, acquiring "submarine" pitcher Chad Bradford (Casey Bond) and former catcher Scott Hatteberg (Chris Pratt), and winning 20 consecutive games, an American League record.

Columbia Pictures bought the rights to Lewis's book in 2004.[4] The film was featured at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival[5] and was released on September 23, 2011 to a box-office success and positive reviews. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Actor for Pitt, Best Supporting Actor for Hill, and Best Picture.

Plot

Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is upset by his team's loss to the New York Yankees in the 2001 postseason. 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, but must overcome Oakland's limited payroll. During a visit to the Cleveland Indians, Beane meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a young Yale economics graduate with radical ideas about how to assess players' value. Beane tests Brand's theory by asking whether he would have drafted him (out of high school), Beane having been a Major League player before becoming general manager. Though scouts considered Beane a phenomenal prospect, his career in the Major Leagues was disappointing. After some prodding, Brand admits that he would not have drafted him until the ninth round and that Beane would probably have accepted a scholarship to Stanford instead. Beane hires the inexperienced Brand to be the Athletics assistant general manager.

Oakland team scouts are first dismissive and then hostile towards Brand's non-traditional sabermetric approach to scouting players. Most notably, Grady Fuson (Ken Medlock) takes to the radio airwaves after being fired by Beane and doubts the team's future. Rather than relying on the scouts' experience and intuition, Brand selects players based almost exclusively on their on-base percentage (OBP). Despite vehement objections from the scouts, Beane signs the players Brand suggests, such as unorthodox submarine pitcher Chad Bradford (Casey Bond), past-his-prime outfielder David Justice (Stephen Bishop) and injured Scott Hatteberg (Chris Pratt). Beane finds that he also faces opposition from Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the Athletics' manager. With tensions already high between them because of a contract dispute, Howe disregards Beane's and Brand's strategy and plays a lineup he prefers. Beane eventually trades away the lone traditional first baseman, Carlos Peña, to force Howe to use Hatteberg at that position.

Early in the season, the Athletics fare poorly, leading critics to dismiss the new method as a failure. Beane convinces the owner to stay the course and the team's record improves. The Athletics win 19 consecutive games, tying for the longest winning streak in American League history. Beane's young daughter implores him to go to the A's subsequent game against the Kansas City Royals, where Oakland is already leading 11–0 after the third inning and appears set to advance their winning streak to a record-breaking 20. Like many baseball players, Beane is superstitious and avoids games in progress, but upon hearing how well the game is going on the radio, he decides to go. Beane arrives in the fourth inning, only to watch the team go to pieces and eventually allow the Royals to even the score at 11. Finally, the A's do win, on a walk-off home run by one of Brand's picks, Hatteberg. Yet the A's again lose in the postseason, this time to the Minnesota Twins. Beane is disappointed, believing nothing short of a championship should be considered a success.

Beane is contacted by the owner of the Boston Red Sox, who realizes that the sabermetric model is the future of baseball. He offers Beane a job as general manager of the Red Sox. Beane passes up the opportunity, despite the $12.5 million salary, which would have made him the highest-paid general manager in sports history. He returns to Oakland to continue managing the Athletics, while a title card reveals that two years later the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series using the model pioneered by the Athletics.

Cast

Cast notes

Production

Stan Chervin developed the initial drafts of the screenplay after Columbia Pictures bought rights to Lewis's book in 2004. 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.[10] Steven Soderbergh was subsequently signed to replace Frankel.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13]

On June 19, 2009, days before filming was set to begin, Sony put the picture on hold.[11][14] 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.[15] Aaron Sorkin wrote a third version of the screenplay.[11][15]

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.[16] Baseball figures, including scout Phil Pote and baseball coaches and managers George Vranau and Barry Moss, were cast in supporting roles.[17]

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 (Bond) was picked up by Oakland at the urging of Peter Brand (Hill). Bradford stops Beane (Pitt) 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. Finally, former Oakland A's manager Art Howe (Hoffman) has spoken out publicly about his disapproval of how he was portrayed in the film.[26] 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.[27][28] 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.[29]

Reception

Critical reception

Moneyball has received significant critical acclaim, with Pitt's performance receiving strong praise. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 94%, based on 236 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".[30] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 87 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[31]

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".[32] 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".[33]

Top ten lists

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

Critic Publication Rank
Rene Rodriguez Miami Herald 1st[34]
Lisa Kennedy Denver Post 1st[34]
Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune 2nd[34]
Satya Nagendra Padala International Business Times 2nd[35]
Ann Hornaday The Washington Post 3rd[36]
Elizabeth Weitzman New York Daily News 3rd[34]
Peter Travers Rolling Stone 4th[37]
David Fear Time Out New York 4th[34]
— TV Guide 6th[34]
Joe Neumaier New York Daily News 6th[34]
Marshall Fine Hollywood & Fine 6th[34]
Betsy Sharkey Los Angeles Times 7th[34]
Robbie Collin The Telegraph 8th[34]
Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly 8th[34]
Dave McCoy MSN Movies 8th[34]
Kim Lorgan MSN Movies 8th[34]
Richard T. Jameson MSN Movies 10th[34]
Stephen Holden The New York Times 10th[34]
Karina Longworth The Village Voice 10th[34]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Award Category Recipients and nominees Result
84th Academy Awards[38][39] Best Picture Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, and Brad Pitt Nominated
Best Actor Brad Pitt Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Jonah Hill Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin (Screenplay), Stan Chervin (Story) Nominated
Best Film Editing Christopher Tellefsen Nominated
Best Sound Mixing Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco, and Ed Novick Nominated
American Film Institute Movies of the Year Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, and Brad Pitt Shortlisted
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards[40] Best Film – International Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, and Brad Pitt Nominated
Best Screenplay – International Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, and Stan Chervin Nominated
Best Actor – International Brad Pitt Nominated
BAFTA Award[41][42] Best Actor Brad Pitt Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Jonah Hill Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin Nominated
BMI Film & TV Awards[43] Film Music Award Mychael Danna Won
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Best Actor Brad Pitt Won
Best Screenplay Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin Won
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Picture Nominated
Best Actor Brad Pitt Nominated
Best Screenplay Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, and Stan Chervin Won
Casting Society of America[44] Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Big Budget Drama Feature Francine Maisler, Lauren Grey Nominated
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards[45] Best Film Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Steve Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin Nominated
Actor of the Year Brad Pitt (Also for The Tree of Life and Happy Feet Two) Nominated
Denver Film Critics Society[46] Best Actor Brad Pitt Won
Best Screenplay Steve Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, and Stan Chervin Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominated
Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Brad Pitt Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Jonah Hill Nominated
Best Screenplay Steve Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin Nominated
New York Film Critics Circle Best Actor Brad Pitt (Also for The Tree of Life) Won
Best Screenplay Steve Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin Won
Online Film Critics Society[47] Best Adapted Screenplay Steve Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, and Stan Chervin Nominated
People's Choice Awards[48] Favorite Drama Movie Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society[49][50] Best Picture Nominated
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Jonah Hill Nominated
Best Original Score Nominated
Producers Guild of America Award[51] Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, and Brad Pitt Nominated
Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture Nominated
Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Brad Pitt Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Jonah Hill Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Steve Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Brad Pitt Nominated
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Jonah Hill Nominated
Vancouver Film Critics Circle[52] Best Screenplay Steve Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin Nominated

References

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  6. ^ Costa, Brian (2011-09-16). "The Man Not Named in 'Moneyball' - WSJ.com". Online.WSJ.com. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
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  8. ^ Good, Owen (2011-08-06). "Hooray! Now We Know Why Bobby Kotick is in that Brad Pitt Movie". Kotaku.
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  10. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (2008-10-16). "Columbia pitches Moneyball to Pitt". Variety. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
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  23. ^ "Carlos Peña (Minors Batting)". Baseball-Reference.com. n.d. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
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  42. ^ "BAFTA 2012 the winners - the full list". The Guardian. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  43. ^ Gallo, Phil (May 17, 2012). "Backbeat: Rolfe Kent Receives Career Achievement Honor at BMI Film and TV Awards". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  44. ^ "Casting Society of America Announces Artios Awards Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. August 20, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
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  46. ^ "Denver Film Critics Society Announces 2012 Award Winners". Yahoo! Movies. January 11, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  47. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (December 26, 2011). "'Tree of Life' leads with 7 nods from Online Film Critics Society". HitFix. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  48. ^ "Nominations Announced for the 'People's Choice Awards 2012'". TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com. 2011-11-08. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  49. ^ "Phoenix Film Critics Society 2011 Award Nominations". Phoenix Film Critics Society. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  50. ^ "Phoenix Film Critics Society 2011 Awards". Phoenix Film Critics Society. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  51. ^ "PGA ANNOUNCES THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURE AND LONG-FORM TELEVISION NOMINATIONS FOR 2012 PGA AWARDS". producersGuild.org. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  52. ^ Monk, Katherine (January 3, 2012). "Vancouver Film Critics Circle nominations: The Artist leads with four nods". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
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