| Moneyball | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Bennett Miller |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | Stan Chervin |
| Based on | Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game byMichael Lewis |
| Produced by | |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Wally Pfister |
| Edited by | Christopher Tellefsen |
| Music by | Mychael Danna |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 133 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million[2] |
| Box office | $110.2 million[3] |
Moneyball is a 2011 Americanbiographicalsports drama film directed byBennett Miller and adapted bySteven Zaillian andAaron Sorkin. It starsBrad Pitt,Jonah Hill,Philip Seymour Hoffman,Robin Wright andChris Pratt. The film is based on the 2003 bookMoneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game byMichael Lewis, an account of theOakland Athleticsbaseball team's2002 season and their general managerBilly Beane's attempts to assemble a competitive team with half (or even a third) as much money as his rivals.Moneyball follows Beane and his deputyPeter Brand scout the major leagues for undervalued talent by taking a sophisticatedsabermetric approach toscouting and analyzing players, triggering skepticism and resentment within the baseball community.
Columbia Pictures bought the rights to Lewis's book in 2004, hiring Chervin to write the screenplay.David Frankel was initially set to direct with Zaillian now writing the screenplay, but was soon replaced bySteven Soderbergh, who planned to make the film in a semi-documentary style featuring interviews from real athletes, and having the real players and coaches on the team portray themselves. But before its July 2009 filming start, the film was put inturnaround due to creative differences between Soderbergh and Sony over a last-minute script rewrite. Soderbergh exited, and Miller was hired to direct, with Pitt becoming a producer and Sorkin hired for rewrites. Filming began in July 2010 at various stadiums such asDodger Stadium andOakland Coliseum.
The film premiered at the2011 Toronto International Film Festival and was released on September 23, 2011, to box office success and critical acclaim, particularly for its acting and screenplay. The film receivednumerous accolades, including sixAcademy Awards nominations includingBest Picture,Best Adapted Screenplay,Best Actor for Pitt andBest Supporting Actor for Hill.
TheOakland Athletics ofMajor League Baseball havedifficulty fielding competitive teams due to low revenue and owners who are reluctant to spend money.General managerBilly Beane drafts and develops cheap, young, and talented players,[a] but the Athletics lose the2001 American League Division Series (ALDS) to theNew York Yankees, baseball's richest and most successful team.[b] For the2002 season, Beane is given a paltry $41 million budget.[c] Throughfree agency, three richer teams poach three of Beane's best players:Jason Giambi,Johnny Damon, andJason Isringhausen. Adding insult to injury, Giambi joins the Yankees.
Beane is skeptical about traditional baseball scouting methods after theNew York Mets drafted him in the first round of the1980 draft—prompting Beane to decline aStanford scholarship—only for Beane to have an unimpressive playing career. Beane tries to trade for theCleveland Indians'Karim García, but Cleveland refuses on the advice of team advisor Peter Brand, aYale economics graduate who privately complains to Beane that Cleveland rarely takes his advice, and expresses a belief that baseball teams focus too much on individual players to have success. Intrigued, Beane asks whether Brand would have drafted him in 1980. After Brand reluctantly admits that he would not have drafted Beane until the ninth round, Beane hires Brand.
Beane and Brand studysabermetrics, an unconventional scouting philosophy. Unable to afford more talented, expensive players, Beane and Brand focus on maximizing the team'son-base percentage (OBP) and compromise on skills likebase stealing, defense, andbatting average. They acquire undervalued players like agingDavid Justice, injured catcherScott Hatteberg, andsubmarinerChad Bradford. Beane fires head scoutGrady Fuson, who refuses to abandon his traditional scouting methods.
A poor start to the season prompts the media and the team to question Beane's philosophy. ManagerArt Howe, who is angling for a contract extension, disregards Brand's advice to put the players with the best OBP at the top of thebatting order. Howe resists playing Hatteberg at first base, so Beane forces Hatteberg into the lineup by trading away Howe's favored first basemanCarlos Peña. AlthoughJeremy Giambi has good on-base skills, Beane decides that Giambi lacks the intangible qualities to succeed and trades him as well.[d] Beane persuades team ownerStephen Schott to trust in the plan. With Cleveland performing poorly, Beane devises a trade for the Indians' star relieverRicardo Rincón.
The Athletics' performance improves, placing them on the verge of anAL-record-breaking20th consecutive win. Although Beane rarely attends games, his daughter Casey persuades him to attend the next game against theKansas City Royals. Oakland leads 11–0 when Beane arrives, but the Royals mount a furious comeback and tie the game. Hatteberg hits awalk-off home run to the Oakland fans' delight. Despite the celebration, Beane tells Brand he will not be satisfied until they have changed baseball by winning theWorld Series.
The Athletics are the 2002American League West champions but lose to theMinnesota Twins in the first round ofdivision playoffs. A media analyst asserts that the Athletics lost because they lacked intangible qualities that cannot be measured with statistics. Later,Boston Red Sox ownerJohn W. Henry offers Beane the largest contract for a general manager in history to take over the Red Sox organization. Beane discloses Henry's offer to Brand and says that their strategy failed. Brand shows Beane a video of batterJeremy Brown, who hits a home run, but does not realize it. Sensing the meaning of the video and what Brand is trying to say, Beane thanks Brand. Beane drives while listening to a burnedCD of Casey singing "The Show", prompting him to cry.
An epilogue reveals that Beane turned down the $12.5 million offer by the Red Sox, who used sabermetrics to win the2004 World Series, while Beane has yet to win a World Series.
Film directorSpike Jonze has a small uncredited role as Alan, Sharon's spouse.[8] Then-Activision Blizzard CEOBobby Kotick appears as Athletics co-ownerStephen Schott.[9]
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In May 2004,Sony Pictures acquired the rights to theMichael Lewis book, and had hiredStan Chervin to write the screenplay.[10] By October 2008,Brad Pitt was being courted to star in the film, now being written bySteven Zaillian, andDavid Frankel was attached to direct.[11] Frankel and Pitt met with one another during the week of the66th Golden Globe Awards to discuss the project, but eventually Frankel would exit by February 2009, withSteven Soderbergh entering negotiations to direct.[12] Soderbergh confirmed his involvement in May that year, and in talking about the film, stated "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".[13]Demetri Martin was cast to playPaul DePodesta in the film, with former Athletics playersScott Hatteberg andDavid Justice playing themselves, and interview segments featuring playersDarryl Strawberry andLenny Dykstra set to occur.[14]
Production under Soderbergh was set to begin in July 2009, and was to be shot on location atOakland Coliseum.Art Howe, former manager of the team, was also set to appear as himself.[15] Five days before its July 8 filming start date, Sony cancelled the film and entered it into "limitedturnaround". The cited reason for the cancellation was that, upon a last-minute script revision by Soderbergh that added "an abundance of baseball details", studio executives felt the audience would feel alienated. It was also stated that the studio now felt the film was too "arty" for its $58 million budget. Soderbergh was said to be unwilling to compromise, leaving Sony chairwomanAmy Pascal "apoplectic".Paramount Pictures andWarner Bros. both turned down offers to pick up the project.[16] Soderbergh revealed he exited the film in a September 2009 interview withThe Orlando Sentinel, saying, "There have been a couple of times in my career where I've been unceremoniously removed from projects. I don't waste a lot of energy on it. It doesn't get you anywhere. As soon as it became clear that there was no iteration of that movie that I was going to get to direct, I immediately started looking around for something else to do".[17]
In December 2009,Bennett Miller was hired to direct the film,[18] with the casting ofJonah Hill, who was replacing Martin as DePodesta, announced in March 2010.[19] DePodesta's name was removed upon his request as he felt the script no longer accurately depicted him; Hill was given the role of a DePodesta-like "Peter Brand."[20]Aaron Sorkin was brought on to provide a rewrite of the screenplay. Pascal had specifically sought out Sorkin's involvement, in addition to Pitt joining as a producer, and bringing producerScott Rudin on board as executive producer. Sorkin agreed on the condition Zaillian gave his blessing. Sorkin and Zaillian eventually worked on different drafts of the script independently of one another.[21][22] Miller took three weeks to agree to do the film, and stated he wasn't interested in making a traditional sports film, seeking instead to make it "subversive to the genre. It's not really a conventional sports movie. It puts all that stuff on its head".[23] Cinematographer Adam Kimmel was initially set to work on the film, but due to his April 2010 arrest forsexual assault, was replaced byWally Pfister.[24][25] In May,Philip Seymour Hoffman andRobin Wright entered negotiations to join the cast, with Hoffman portraying Howe, and Wright as Beane's ex-wife.[26]Chris Pratt,Stephen Bishop andKathryn Morris were added to the cast in July, though Morris's scenes were cut.[27][28] Pratt described how he initially was told in his first audition for the role of Hatteberg that he was "too fat". He took three months to work out and shed 30 pounds, which led to him winning the role.[29] Bishop, portraying Justice in the film, had grown up idolizing the player, and played baseball for the advanced-A affiliate team of theAtlanta Braves at the time Justice was on their roster.[30] Real baseball players, scouts, umpires, executives, and groundskeepers were included alongside the actors. For the role of Billy Beane's daughter, Miller auditioned several young actresses before selectingKerris Dorsey, whose performance included a rendition ofLenka'sThe Show.[31]
Filming was given a July 2010 start date with a reduced budget of $47 million after Pitt agreed to a pay cut.[32] Filming took place atBlair Field for eight days.[33] To save money,Dodger Stadium was used to stand in for several stadiums.[34] Roughly 700 extras portrayed fans in the stadiums for the game scenes.[34] Scenes were shot at the Oakland Coliseum beginning on July 26.[35] Principal photography took place over 58 days, with filming locations including Dodger Stadium, the Oakland Coliseum, and Fenway Park.[31] Production designer Jess Gonchor recreated the interior spaces of the Oakland Athletics' facilities—including the locker room, weight room, and video room—on a Sony soundstage, while exteriors of the Coliseum were filmed on location, often at night to accommodate the A's game schedule. Since the production had a limited budget, Dodger Stadium was dressed to represent multiple ballparks visited by the Athletics. Some scenes set in Oakland were filmed in Long Beach and Glendale, California.[31]
The score was composed byMychael Danna, with whom Miller worked onCapote. Danna implemented the song "The Mighty Rio Grande" byThis Will Destroy You throughout the film.[36]Joe Satriani plays the 'Star Spangled Banner' at the first game of the 2002 season. In the film, Billy Beane's daughter, Casey Beane (played byKerris Dorsey), performs a cover of Australian singer Lenka's 2008 song "The Show", which is included in the soundtrack of the film. Another notable song featured in Moneyball's soundtrack is "Give Up the Funk".
David Haglund ofSlate andJonah Keri ofGrantland criticized the film and book for excluding pitchersTim Hudson,Mark Mulder, andBarry Zito and position players such asEric Chavez andMiguel Tejada—all discovered via traditional scouting methods, and key contributors to the success of the 2002 Athletics.[37]
Former Oakland A's manager Art Howe has spoken publicly about his disapproval of his portrayal in an interview onSirius XM. "It is very disappointing to know that you spent seven years in an organization and gave your heart and soul to it and helped them go to the postseason your last three years there and win over 100 games your last two seasons and this is the way evidently your boss [Beane] feels about you." Howe also said producers of Miller's version of the film didn't contact him to consult on his portrayal.[38] Hatteberg also said that Howe was portrayed inaccurately, saying: "Art Howe was a huge supporter of mine. I never got the impression from him that I was not his first choice." He mentioned Howe and Beane had a "turbulent relationship".[39]
TheSan Francisco Chronicle noted several inaccuracies in the film, including that players such as Giambi and Bradford had already joined the team before the time depicted in the film, and that the Giambi and Peña trades did not occur at the same time.[40]
Moneyball premiered at theToronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2011,[41] and was released theatrically on September 23, 2011, byColumbia Pictures.[42] The film was also released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 6, 2011, bySony Pictures Home Entertainment.[10]
Moneyball grossed $75.6 million in the United States and Canada and $34.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $110.2 million, against a production budget of $50 million.[3] The film grossed $19.5 million from 2,993 theaters in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office behind the 3D re-release ofThe Lion King.[43] In its second weekend it grossed $12 million (a drop of only 38.3%), again finishing second.[44]
OnRotten Tomatoes,Moneyball holds an approval rating of 94% based on 265 reviews, with an average rating of 8.00/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "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."[45] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[46] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[47] The film appeared on 35 critics' top-ten lists for the best films of 2011, with two critics ranking it first and another ranking it second.[48]
Roger Ebert, in his four-star review, praised the film for its "intelligence and depth", specifically highlighting the screenplay and its "terse, brainy dialogue."[49]Manohla Dargis ofThe New York Times found Pitt's performance "relaxed yet edgy and sometimes unsettling", and stated she couldn't see anyone but Pitt in the role.[50] Writing forRolling Stone,Peter Travers also praised Pitt's performance, in addition to Miller's direction and the screenplay, which he referred to as "dynamite".[51]Owen Gleiberman forEntertainment Weekly highlighted Hoffman's performance alongside Pitt and Hill, finding Hoffman "does a character turn that's as fresh for him as the crew cut that makes him look like a grizzled old-timer."[52] Kirk Honeycutt was complimentary of the comedic chemistry between Pitt and Hill, which prompted Honeycutt to compare the film toThe Bad News Bears andMajor League.[53] Brian Eggert, owner and film critic of Deep Focus Review, said "even if you don't care much for baseball or sports in general, traces of a very human underdog drama come through to render the experience a universally consumable one."
In his review forNew York magazine,David Edelstein said that Pitt's performance made the film more focused towards Beane as opposed to the team.[54]Dana Stevens ofSlate wrote that the film could be enjoyed by viewers who typically don't like sports movies. Stevens also highlighted Hill's performance, saying that the role "gives him the chance to be funny, not by wisecracking broadly but by underreacting."[55] Writing inSlant Magazine, Bill Weber praised Pitt's performance, but found the film formulaic: "But true to Hollywood's tireless efforts to fit square-peg material into roundish genre niches, this wavering, intermittently smart story of daring to think differently flattens its narrative into formula." Weber also felt the audience would endure "tonal whiplash", pointing to the scene of Beane and Brand executing various trades: "played for laughs" but "the rhythm isn't snappy enough to draw laughs."[56] Peter Hartlaub of theSan Francisco Chronicle found the film to be filled with compromises, writing, "Someone crammedMajor League-style sports cliches into a more nuanced story about baseball and progress – and then tried to fit a Brad Pitt star vehicle inside of that. The result is an interesting but frustrating near-miss." Hartlaub also criticized the film's runtime.[57]
In 2025, the film ranked number 45 onThe New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century" and number 94 on the "Readers' Choice" edition of the list.[58][59]
The film received 6Academy Award nominations, includingBest Picture,Best Actor (Pitt),Best Supporting Actor (Hill),Best Adapted Screenplay,Best Sound Mixing andBest Film Editing.[60] At the69th Golden Globe Awards, the film received 4 nominations:Best Motion Picture – Drama,Best Actor - Drama (Pitt),Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture (Hill) andBest Screenplay.[61]
