Moneyball (2011)

I'm going to try and do a better job writing more regularly. It's been a while since I've been able to do regular movie updates. However, it's awards season, and I'm going to make a push to watch as many of the big nominees as I can. First up, Moneyball.

Similar to the Social Network from last year, Moneyball tells the heart of a story, but probably flubs a few of the real life details to get there. The focus is on the personality and struggle of Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, to turn the small market Oakland A's into a club that can compete with the big spending Yankees and Sox. Pitt is great. Also great is Jonah Hill, playing the brains behind the idea of "moneyball", choosing players that provide a value for their respective payroll.

By far the best thing about this film is the "behind baseball" aspect of it all. Watching Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill in the back rooms, arguing with the old guard to try and find a new way to win is pretty fascinating. Also interesting, but less so, is Beane's personal life, including his relationship with his daughter, his ex-wife, and his past as an up-and-coming baseball prospect. Where the movie lacks is in the actual baseball, strangely enough. The least compelling moments are those that actually happen on the field.

My next issue is one that belongs to me only, and you may skip right past it, but for some reason, it stuck in my head and I had real trouble letting it go. The film jumps around in its timeline a little bit. It spends some time in 2001 and it spends some time with Beane when he's young. There's a scene where Beane is visiting with his daughter and buying her a guitar. She plays a song for him called "The Show". I know that song very well, because by chance, someone I know personally sang it for a school recital. I know that the song was released recently (2008). In the film, because I knew the song, I was led to believe that (or at least unsure whether) the scene with Beane and his daughter occurred as a flash forward or in 2001. Prior to that point, we'd only heard of his daughter, but not actually seen her. Now, I forgive anachronisms all the time, if they help tell a story. And with a song like "The Show," you can certainly argue that it applies to Beane's story. But with my knowledge going in, I was obsessing over that flash forward and was very confused. It was distracting, and the choice hurt the film for me.

In terms of a film to enjoy, Moneyball delivers. But, I don't think it's Oscar worthy, in terms of Best Picture. Jonah Hill will get lots of attention, but as much as I like him, I think that the draw is more that he's not your typical dramatic actor. If there was an award for "most surprising actor", sure...Hill wins in a landslide. Pitt's performance carries the film. The academy likes to pick "most actor" sometimes (the role that requires the most departure from the actor's personality -- see "half retard" from Tropic Thunder). Pitt's performance doesn't fit that criteria.