"Moneyball" is surprisingly good!

I read the book, “Moneyball”.  I listened to most of the ‘audio’.  One could wonder how you make a movie out of computer lingo, hiring and firing baseball personnel, and dry statistics.  Well, you don’t.  Even author Michael Lewis admitted that on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show”. 

“Moneyball” the movie is based on the book loosely....very loosely. The story was written by Stan Chervin, which was then written into a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing”, “Sports Center”, “The Social Network”),  and later revised by Steven Zaillian.  It bears little resemblance to the book, but takes its premise and creates a character driven drama around the Oakland A’s GM, Billy Beane, born March 29, 1962 in Orlando, Florida.  By doing so, they created a great baseball movie, but more importantly, just a great movie. 

How often do you hear, “When they do your life story whom do you want to portray you?” Did Billy Beane ever think it would be Brad Pitt (born Dec 18, 1963, Shawnee, Okla)?  .....and that Pitt would stay on board thru multiple changes in production companies, directors, producers, etc. to hang in there til the production was complete?

If were up to me, I’d have cast Billy Campbell (“Enough”) because he and Beane could be twin brothers, but then I like the actors to look like their real counterparts. During production, players and actors alike said that the casting was spot on, hiring actors that look like the players and personnel.  ....I don’t think so.  

I think Philip Seymour Hoffman (born July 23, 1967, Fairport, NY) was miscast as A’s manager, Art Howe ( Dec 15, 1946, Pittsburgh Penna). . Howe is probably a foot taller, did not have a pot belly, and had a softer demeanor.  I’m not sure why Howe has come out saying the movie maligned him, because one could conjecture that an old line baseball manager would have a problem implementing a new concept such as sabermetrics; the computer logic that chose personnel and revolutionized the way baseball players are evaluated.  We Oakland fans always knew there was tension between Howe and Beane, exemplified in his never getting more than a year’s contract at any given time.  Howe, a Sag born in 1946 would have a vision of life that he followed and would most likely not acquiesce to anything new very quickly, if at all. 

The man who brought Sabermetrics to Beane was Paul DePodesta in real life, a tall, slender man, but he didn’t want to have his name in the movie, so Jonah Hill plays a composite of Beane assistants, and is called “Peter Brand” in the film.  Hill (Dec 20, 1983, Los Angeles, Ca) created a classic character who mesmerizes us on the screen. Maybe it was just as well he didn’t need to embody DePodesta. 

The movie takes a human interest look at Beane and his decision to forgo a full scholarship at Stanford and take the baseball money instead, believing what the scouts told him that he’d go #1 in the draft. Beane never lived up to those words, and “Brand” tells him he would have picked him in the 9th round, and Billy probably would have gone to Stanford instead. 

The story revolves around the Oakland A’s and their small budget in relation to other teams, who take up this new computerized way of assessing players and finding those diamonds in the rough who had potential others couldn’t see.  One of these is Scott Hatteberg who had played catcher all his career, but an injury was certain to end it early. Billy decided to make a first baseman out of him.  Two items I remember from the book didn’t get in the movie.  One of which was a key reason I wanted to see it.  The first is that Scott was so unsure about taking over 1st base, that for months he had his 95 lb wife hit balls to him to practice the position. 

The most heart warming part about the A’s turning around their 2002 season and winning ultimately 20 games in a row, was that Hatteberg wasn’t in the lineup that day and was in the club house, drinking coffee, reading, waiting for the game to be over, when he was suddenly called to pinch hit......and hits the home run that wins the 20th game. In the film, he’s simply in the dugout as an available pinch hitter. Do I remember wrong? 

Bummer!  I was sure that would be a highlight of the film. 

Brad Pitt gives a memorable performance as Billy Beane.  He has a softer visage, now, seems to have relaxed more, and is letting life flow. Born in late Sag, his progressed chart had been moving thru more introverted, cautious, uptight Capricorn for many years. Recently, it moved into Aquarius, which seems to have opened him up and created a warmer, more approachable person, appealing to a wider audience. DePodesta may have been unhappy that Jonah Hill was chosen to play him, being “Oliver Hardy” to DePodesta’s “Stan Laurel”, but Hill was a wise choice. In his hands “Brand” is not just a computer nerd, but a compelling personality. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s role as “Art Howe” was not much more than an extended cameo, and while giving it his usual aplomb, I don’t think he captured the essence of Howe.  Robin Wright (“Santa Barbara”, “Forrest Gump” and born April 8, 1966 in Dallas, Texas) has a nice cameo as Billy’s exwife, Sharon.  One wonders why she took such a small role, or whether it was cut in post production. 

Being an Oakland A’s fan, I primed my adult kids a month ahead of time to be ready to see the film the day it debuted, dress up in A’s gold and green and go out for dinner afterwards to make a memory we’d remember forever......what I didn’t realize at the time, was that it would be a good movie to boot!