Moneyball

My Grade:  A

If you are a baseball fan like I am, you should see this movie.  If you are not a baseball fan, you should see this movie.  It’s just a great story.  I mean, how can it not be with a script by Oscar winners Steve Zaillian (Gangs of New York, American Gangster) and Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)... I guess the real life story was good, too.  I am unsure, however, how closely Moneyball sticks to the actual story of Billy Beane and his Oakland A’s.  That really doesn’t matter, though, because the film is thoroughly entertaining and masterfully crafted.

    

The acting is superb in this film.  Brad Pitt may very likely be up for best actor for his portrayal of Billy Beane.  He has a lot to work with as well.  The character development here is fantastic.  We learn all about Billy’s past through some flashbacks, but we learn equally as much through his actions and his arc as the film progresses.  The flashbacks, however, seem a little random at times.  The pacing is good, the information we learn is good, but it seems that the writers decided, “Here’s a good place to toss in some backstory.”  A few of them are brought on by things that are said that relate to the memory Billy has but at least half of them are not.  There are so many things done right with these flashbacks, though, that I can’t knock Zaillian or Sorkin at all.  There’s a reason they have statues on their mantles. 

    

The big surprise of the film, for me, is how well Jonah Hill does with the quasi-serious role of Peter Brand.  This is before he lost the Superbad weight and he shows some acting chops I was unaware he possessed.  Of course he is funny, but he also shows an emotional range that we caught glimpses of in the indie dramedy Cyrus. The most impressive thing about his performance, however, is his ability to hold his own on screen with Pitt.  Their chemistry is great on camera and we can’t help but enjoy ourselves watching any scene that they share.  I don’t think he will, but I could see him with a bid for best supporting actor.  As much as I enjoy Hill’s performance, I have some issues with his character.  I want to know more about him.  Why baseball?  Why the Indians?  What does he do when he’s not with Billy?  These questions come about because his character is so interesting but we know very little about him other than his loyalty to Billy and confidence in his philosophies.  These are endearing characteristics, but I want more.  His moment with Billy near the end of the film (I won’t ruin it but if you have seen the film, you’ll know what I’m talking about... when he mentions a metaphor) would be much stronger if we knew more about him.

    

Unlike an action movie that relies heavily on the director’s style to set it apart, a successful, character driven drama like this film requires excellent writing and excellent acting to be great.  This film, however, exceeds beyond those.  The baseball portions of the film are beautiful.  The lighting is perfect and the shots are creative - you feel like part of the game.  For those baseball fans out there, these scenes will blow you away.  For the others, don’t worry, there aren’t too many of them.  One thing that will really catch your attention in this film is the use of silence.  Think about some of your favorite films... in how many of them can you remember a period of complete silence?  My guess is very few.  Even when you think it is silent, there are ambient noises, room tone, subtle music, etc.  In Moneyball there are moments (usually intense moments) that are completely silent.  I always thought that the best way to amp up the intensity in film was with some powerful chords that crescendo to a climax.  That is one way but silence is, surprisingly, very effective.  I can’t explain it but it is a great little nugget of sound design genius.

    

Overall, this film is great.  There are things that I feel could have been done slightly better, but every film can be better (except maybe The Departed or Dumb and Dumber... biased, I know).  Get used to hearing the name Moneyball because you will probably hear it often, come Oscar season.