Moneyball (2011)

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Overview:

Based off the book with the same name, Moneyball follows baseball general manager Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, as he finds a way to rebuild his Oakland A's team after losing three star players. Beane, frustrated with how he must operate on such a lower budget compared to the goliath Yankees, finds a young Peter Brand, played by Jonah Hill, who suggests sabermetrics. Sabermetrics looks at baseball players more on stats and rather than athletic ability trying to fill holes in a team where stars like Jason Giambi once were. Directed by Bennett Miller and written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin.

Creation:

In 2003 author Michael Lewis wrote a book called Moneyball which told about the true story of Billy Beane and the Oakland A's attempts to compete using sabermetrics. In 2004 the rights to make the book into a film were purchased by Columbia Pictures with with Stan Chervin preparing drafts of a script. It took three years, in 2007, for Brad Pitt to sign on and Steve Zaillian to come on to develop the second script.

The original director was supposed to be Steven Soderbergh who had planned to have the film more resemble a documentary using interviews and the real players playing themselves. The film was put on hold and Bennett Miller brought in to direct with Aaron Sorkin called in to write a third version of the script which would become the movie we see today.

Plot Summary:

Beane and the scouts trying to replace All-Stars

The Oakland Athletics are a good baseball team who have made the playoffs and have a chance for the world series. But despite competing against the Yankees on the field they don't stand a chance off. After losing and being eliminated by the Yankees the A's, and their general manager Billy Beane, must now rebuild after losing their three best players: Jason Giambi, Jason Isringhausen, and Johnny Damon. Beane prepares during the offseason but has become sick constantly battling against teams that have hugely inflated budgets who can outbid and out buy Beane no matter what move he tries to make.In one of his attempts to work magic with a tiny budget Beane visits the Cleveland Indians in hopes of making a few trades. While making offer after offer Beane notices Peter Brand making suggestions on who to keep and who to get rid of which intrigues Beane since Brand appears to be a nobody within the organization. After getting a chance to talk to Brand about his theories of baseball Beane decides he needs him as his assistant general manager if he has any hopes of continuing to compete.

Brand, a Yale graduate in economics, has based a few theories off of sabermetrics. Sabermetrics reevaluates a players impact on a team, no longer buying into the decades long thought that specific tools and athletic ability matter but instead plugs in specific statistics that most teams overlook or ignore. Brand's theories are implemented right away which the usual scouts that work for the Athletics don't take to. They don't like the idea of wasting time on players they view are inadequate.

After firing the head scout Beane is now "all in" on his new strategy scooping up players for super cheap to plug into statistical holes of the team. Players like Scott Hatteberg who injured his throwing elbow and could no longer play catcher for any time, but Beane comes calling telling him his on base percentage is what matters and he could play 1st base since he wouldn't need to throw from that position.

Howe and the A's

Beane runs into more resistance though and this time from team manager Art Howe. Howe may not completely agree with Beane's player acquisitions but plays the best players he has on the field rather than who Beane thinks needs to be out there. Howe's decision makes sense from a traditional baseball point of view but quickly the team gets onto a losing start. With the media saying Beane is at fault, Beane decides to double down on Brand's strategy in hopes of creating a winner.To prevent Howe from continuing to start the wrong players, like talented rookie Carlos Pena over Hatteberg, Beane begins to trade away who they have to force the team that statistically can win. With the changes now forcibly implemented the team begins to win and win. Soon they are on a roll, winning 19 games, tying a record of any American League team. With the 20th game on the line Beane refuses to attend in hopes of avoiding a jinx. After some gentle nudging from his daughter he checks in on the score to hear the A's are up 11-0.

Hatteberg

Beane rushes back to the A's stadium and arrives just in time to slowly watch the A's lose an 11 run lead. Tied at 11-11 into the bottom of the 9th with Howe deciding to send in a pitch batter, Hatteberg, who hits a walk off home run. The 20 game winning streak and better play by Beane's players take the A's back into the playoffs with a team of "misfits". But just like the year before the team loses out in the first round again the Minnesota Twins. Beane feels dejected by the loss but his success on such a low budget and with players no other team wanted gets the attention of the rest of the baseball world.Months later Beane is flown out to Boston and out to Fenway Park. There he sits down with the Red Sox and his offered what would be the highest paid general manager position in the history of baseball, an offer Beane refuses. The film ends noting that only two years later those same Red Sox won the world series, using the same theories and techniques first used by Beane.

Critical Reception:

Moneyball was released to a very good response from critics and praised for taking statistics and baseball and turning it into something audiences want to watch. Despite high critical acclaim audiences didn't run to the theaters to see it and the film earned just under $95 million, which isn't bad for a drama about baseball.