Columbia Pictures bought the rights to Lewis's book in 2004.[4] After a number of years in development, the film was featured at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival[5] and was released on September 23, 2011 to critical acclaim.[6] The film was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Actor and Best Picture on January 24, 2012.
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 attempts to devise a strategy for assembling a competitive team for 2002 but struggles to overcome Oakland's limited player 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 player, 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 should probably have accepted a scholarship to Stanford instead. Sensing opportunity, Beane hires Brand as the Athletics' assistant general manager.The team's scouts are first dismissive of and then hostile towards Brand's non-traditional sabermetric approach to scouting players, most notably Grady Fuson (Ken Medlock) – who is fired by Beane after insulting their approach, and takes to the radio airwaves 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). By finding players with a high OBP but with characteristics that lead scouts to dismiss them, Brand assembles a team of undervalued players with far more potential than the A's hamstrung finances would otherwise allow. Despite vehement objections from the scouts, Beane supports Brand's theory and hires the players he selected, such as unorthodox submarine pitcher Chad Bradford (Casey Bond). Following the free agent signings, 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 and Brand's strategy and plays the team in a traditional style despite their unsuitability. Beane is eventually forced to trade away the lone traditional star player (Carlos Peña) to force Howe to use the new recruits.
Early in the season, the Athletics fare poorly, leading critics within and outside the team to dismiss the new method as a dismal failure. Beane convinces the owner to stay the course, and eventually the team's record begins to improve. Ultimately, the Athletics win an unprecedented 20 consecutive games, setting the American League record. Their streak is capped with a victory over the Kansas City Royals. Like many baseball players, Beane is superstitious and avoids attending or sometimes even following games as they are in progress. His young daughter implores him to go to the A's final game against the 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. Beane arrives in the fourth inning, only to watch the team go to pieces and eventually allow the Royals to even the score 11–11. Finally, the A's do clinch the victory with a walk-off home run by one of Brand's picks, Scott Hatteberg. Then, despite all their success in the second half of the season, the A's lose in the first round of the postseason, this time to the Minnesota Twins. Beane is disappointed, but satisfied at having demonstrated the value of his and Brand's methods.
In closing, the film notes that Beane passed up the opportunity to become the general manager of the Boston Red Sox, despite an offer of a $12.5 million salary, which would have made him the highest paid general manager in sports history (the implication being that his decision ultimately came down to not wanting to move away from his daughter).
[edit] Cast
- Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland Athletics
- Jonah Hill as Peter Brand, Beane's assistant general manager
- Philip Seymour Hoffman as Art Howe, the manager of the Oakland Athletics
- Chris Pratt as Scott Hatteberg, A's first baseman
- Casey Bond as Chad Bradford, A's submarine relief pitcher
- Stephen Bishop as David Justice, A's outfielder
- Royce Clayton as Miguel Tejada, A's shortstop
- David Hutchison as John Mabry, A's utility player
- Robin Wright as Sharon, Beane's ex-wife and mother of Casey
- Kerris Dorsey as Casey Beane
- Ken Medlock as Grady Fuson, scouting director of the Oakland Athletics
- Cast notes
- Peter Brand is a composite character partly based on Paul DePodesta, who did not want his name used in the film.[8][9]
- Robert Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, makes an uncredited cameo appearance as former A's owner Stephen Schott.[10]
- Spike Jonze has a small uncredited role as Alán, Sharon's spouse.
- Musician Joe Satriani appears as himself, performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" on electric guitar.
- Arliss Howard briefly appears as John W. Henry, owner of the Boston Red Sox.
[edit] Production
Stan Chervin developed the first 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.[11] Steven Soderbergh was subsequently signed to replace Frankel.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14]On June 19, 2009, days before filming was set to begin, Sony put the picture on hold.[12][15] Zaillian's and 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 was ultimately replaced by Bennett Miller.[16] Aaron Sorkin wrote a third version of the screenplay.[12][16]
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.[17] Baseball figures, including scout Phil Pote and and baseball coaches and managers George Vranau and Barry Moss, were cast in supporting roles.[18]
With Martin no longer involved, Jonah Hill was cast to play DePodesta. However, feeling the character was becoming fictional, DePodesta requested his likeness not be used. Hill's role was transformed into a composite character, named Peter Brand.[19]
Filming began in July 2010.[20] Filming locations included Fenway Park, the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, Dodger Stadium and Blair Field,[21] while studio shooting took place at Sony's Culver City studios.
[edit] Reception
[edit] Critical reception
Moneyball has received near-universal acclaim. As of March 19, 2012 the aggregate review website Rotten Tomatoes registered positive responses in 205 of 217 sampled reviews for a score of 94% and certified the film "Fresh." The critical consensus of the site states that "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".[22] In comparison, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gave the film an average score of 87 based on 41 reviews.[23]The film has received a similarly positive response from audiences. A CinemaScore analysis found that people who had just seen the film gave it an average letter score of 'A'.[24]
[edit] Top ten lists
The film has appeared on the following critics' top ten lists for the best films of 2011:| Critic | Publication | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Phillips | Chicago Tribune | 2nd[25] |
| Satya Nagendra Padala | International Business Times | 2nd[26] |
| Ann Hornaday | The Washington Post | 3rd[27] |
| Elizabeth Weitzman | New York Daily News | 3rd[25] |
| Peter Travers | Rolling Stone | 4th[28] |
| David Fear | Time Out New York | 4th[25] |
| N/A | TV Guide | 6th[25] |
| Joe Neumaier | New York Daily News | 6th[25] |
| Marshall Fine | Hollywood & Fine | 6th[25] |
| Betsy Sharkey | Los Angeles Times | 7th[25] |
| Robbie Collin | The Telegraph | 8th[25] |
| Lisa Schwarzbaum | Entertainment Weekly | 8th[25] |
| Dave McCoy | MSN Movies | 8th[25] |
| Kim Lorgan | MSN Movies | 8th[25] |
| Richard T. Jameson | MSN Movies | 10th[25] |
| Stephen Holden | The New York Times | 10th[25] |
| Karina Longworth | The Village Voice | 10th[25] |
[edit] Accolades
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 84th Academy Awards[29][30] | Best Picture | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Brad Pitt | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Jonah Hill | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian; Story by Stan Chervin | 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 | Won | |
| Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards[31] | Best Film – International | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay – International | Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin | Nominated | |
| Best Actor – International | Brad Pitt | Nominated | |
| 65th British Academy Film Awards[32][33] | BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role | Brad Pitt | Nominated |
| BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Jonah Hill | Nominated | |
| BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay | Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin | Nominated | |
| Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Actor | Brad Pitt | Won |
| Best Screenplay | Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian | Won | |
| Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Best Picture | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Brad Pitt | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay | Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards[34] | Best Picture | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Brad Pitt | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin |
Won | |
| Denver Film Critics Society[35] | Best Actor | Brad Pitt | Won |
| Best Screenplay | Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin |
Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture - Drama | Nominated | |
| Best Actor - Drama | Brad Pitt | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Jonah Hill | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay | Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian | Nominated | |
| New York Film Critics Circle | Best Actor | Brad Pitt (Also for The Tree of Life) | Won |
| Best Screenplay | Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian | Won | |
| Online Film Critics Society[36] | Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated | |
| People's Choice Awards[37] | Favorite Drama Movie | Nominated | |
| Phoenix Film Critics Society[38][39] | Best Picture | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Jonah Hill | Nominated | |
| Best Original Score | Nominated | ||
| Producers Guild of America Award[40] | Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures | Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Motion Picture | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama | Brad Pitt | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Jonah Hill | Nominated | |
| Adapted Screenplay | Aaron Sorkin, Steve Zaillian, Stan Chervin | 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[41] | Best Screenplay | Nominated |
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