Moneyball (2011) Film 6/50

"Stealing Home is NOT a baseball movie."

-Joe Fidler

Sure thing, Da. But Moneyball is definitely a baseball movie. With math.

First of all, nice to see you break out of your usual character role, Jonah Hill. And congrats on the Oscar nom, too. Welcome to the Big League...so to speak.

Moneyball follows the pattern of pretty much any baseball film ever made: an individual as part of a struggling team makes a controversial change, success ensues. There are certainly a few minor exceptions...for example, any film pertaining to the circumstances surrounding the 1919 Chicago White Sox (although a solid argument could be made that my proposed formula works for Field of Dreams) or those based on the life of Lou Gehrig. And, of course, Stealing Home does not follow that rule either. Clearly not a baseball movie.

This film has the added bonus of being a baseball movie based on a true story, which adds a slight twist to the above stated formula: a real-life person as member of a real-life struggling team makes a controversial change and a tale based on the actual noteworthy events that resulted ensues.

With this story, we follow Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane as he struggles to pull together a winning team on a minimal budget back in 2002. Pitt plays the understated protagonist, a strong departure from many of his previous performances, who hires Hill as his stats-friendly assistant. Those of you who have followed the A's 2002 season will know where it goes from there. To those who don't, just know that Aaron Sorkin was one of the screenplay writers and will not take you to the end without making the journey worth it.

I enjoyed watching Moneyball, but I do have one complaint. The trailers for this movie present a far different mood than the actual film provides. The trailer has this upbeat, "Hey, we've got Oceans 11's Brad Pitt" background music playing while the film gives a far more melancholy tune. That in conjunction with the cool visual aesthetic make for a less peppy film than might be anticipated. But I suppose that's more of a issue with the marketing team than the actual film.

So...thank you, insomnia. Maybe I'll get a full night sleep tomorrow night. Otherwise, I'll probably watch Ides of March.