Moneyball (film)
Encyclopedia
Moneyball is a 2011 biographical
sports drama film
directed by Bennett Miller
and distributed by Columbia Pictures
. The film is based on Michael Lewis
' 2003 book of the same name, an account of the Oakland Athletics
baseball
team's 2002 season
and their general manager Billy Beane
's attempts to assemble a competitive team. In the film, Beane (Brad Pitt
) and assistant GM Peter Brand (Jonah Hill
), faced with the franchise's unfavorable financial situation, take a sophisticated sabermetric approach towards scouting and analyzing players, acquiring "submarine" pitcher
Chad Bradford
(Casey Bond
) and former catcher Scott Hatteberg
(Chris Pratt
), and winning 20 games straight, an American League
record.
Columbia Pictures bought the rights to Lewis' book in 2004. After a number of years in development, the film was featured at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
and was released on September 23, 2011 to critical acclaim.
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, 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 would probably have gone to college 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. 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 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 family convinces him to go to the A's game against the Royals, as Oakland is already leading 11–0 after the third inning and appears set to continue their winning streak. Beane arrives, only to watch the team go to pieces and allow the Royals to even the score. Finally, the A's do clinch the victory with a walk-off home run
by one of Brand's picks, Scott Hatteberg
. Despite all their success, 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 $12.5 million a year salary, which would have made him the highest paid GM in baseball history. Also noted is Boston's World Series victory soon after in 2004
, based on the theories that Beane pioneered.
Cast notes
was signed to direct.
Steven Soderbergh
was subsequently signed to replaced Frankel. When asked how the film would dramatize and make entertaining a book about statistics, Soderbergh said:
Scott Hatteberg
and David Justice
were slated to play themselves in the movie.
On June 19, 2009, days before filming was set to begin, Sony put the picture on hold. 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
. Aaron Sorkin
wrote a third version of the screenplay, which turned the character of Paul DePodesta
, to have been portrayed by Demetri Martin
, into a composite character, for which Jonah Hill
was cast.
Filming began in July 2010. Filming locations included Fenway Park
, the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, Dodger Stadium
and Blair Field
, while studio shooting took place at Sony's Culver City studios.
reported that 164 of the tallied 173 reviews were positive, for a score of 95% and a certification of "fresh" stating: "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". 38 out of 39 of the sites tallied reviews from "top critics" (members of major news outlets or other critics the site considers prominent) have been positive. 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.
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'.
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
sports drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Bennett Miller
Bennett Miller
Bennett Miller is an American film director.Miller is the director of the feature Capote , a film for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Director. He also directed the documentary film The Cruise...
and distributed by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. The film is based on Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis (author)
Michael Lewis is an American non-fiction author and financial journalist. His bestselling books include The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Liar's Poker, The New New Thing, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Panic and Home Game: An...
' 2003 book of the same name, an account of the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team's 2002 season
2002 Oakland Athletics season
The Oakland Athletics' 2002 season involved the A's finishing 1st in the American League West with a record of 103 wins and 59 losses, despite losing three key players to larger market teams: 2000 AL MVP Jason Giambi to the New York Yankees, outfielder Johnny Damon to the Boston Red Sox, and closer...
and their general manager Billy Beane
Billy Beane
William Lamar "Billy" Beane III is a former Major League Baseball player and the current general manager and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics...
's attempts to assemble a competitive team. In the film, Beane (Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
) and assistant GM Peter Brand (Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill Feldstein , known professionally as Jonah Hill, is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, and comedian. Hill is best known roles for his roles in Superbad, Knocked Up, and Get Him to the Greek. He made his theatrical debut in I Heart Huckabees, alongside Jason Schwartzman and Dustin...
), faced with the franchise's unfavorable financial situation, take a sophisticated sabermetric approach towards scouting and analyzing players, acquiring "submarine" pitcher
Submarine (baseball)
In baseball, a submarine pitch is one in which the ball is released underhand and just above the ground, with the torso bent at a right angle and shoulders tilted so severely that they rotate around a nearly horizontal axis...
Chad Bradford
Chad Bradford
Chadwick Lee "Chad" Bradford is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was well known for his extreme submarine-style pitching, and his success in MLB despite his unconventional delivery and the slow speed at which he threw the ball led to him figuring prominently in the Michael Lewis...
(Casey Bond
Casey Bond
Casey Bond is an American actor, and former professional baseball player for the San Francisco Giants organization. He has appeared in the television series Gene Simmons Family Jewels, numerous commercials and print ads, and played the role of Chad Bradford in the 2011 film Moneyball.- External...
) and former catcher Scott Hatteberg
Scott Hatteberg
Scott Allen Hatteberg is a former American Major League Baseball first baseman and catcher.- Early life :...
(Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt
Christopher Michael "Chris" Pratt is an American actor, best known for his roles as Harold Brighton "Bright" Abbott in the television series Everwood, the recurring character Winchester "Ché" Cook in season 4 of The OC, Andy Dwyer in the television series Parks and Recreation and for portraying...
), and winning 20 games straight, an American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
record.
Columbia Pictures bought the rights to Lewis' book in 2004. After a number of years in development, the film was featured at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
2011 Toronto International Film Festival
The 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 8 and September 18, 2011.Buenos Aires, Argentina was selected to be showcased for the 2011 City to City programme. The opening film was From the Sky Down, a documentary film about the band...
and was released on September 23, 2011 to critical acclaim.
Plot
Oakland AthleticsOakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
general manager Billy Beane
Billy Beane
William Lamar "Billy" Beane III is a former Major League Baseball player and the current general manager and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics...
(Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
) is upset by his team's loss to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in the 2001 postseason
2001 American League Division Series
-New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics:-Game 1, October 9:Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington-Game 2, October 11:Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington-Game 3, October 13:Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio-Game 4, October 14:Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio...
. With the impending departure of star players Johnny Damon
Johnny Damon
Johnny David Damon is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. From 2000–2008, he was third among active players in runs and seventh in hits and stolen bases . He is currently second among active leaders in triples , five behind Carl Crawford...
, Jason Giambi
Jason Giambi
Jason Gilbert Giambi is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball.He was the American League MVP in 2000 while with the Oakland Athletics, and is a five-time All-Star who has led the American League in walks four times, in on base percentage...
, and Jason Isringhausen
Jason Isringhausen
Jason Derik Isringhausen is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher.-New York Mets:Isringhausen was chosen as a draft-and-follow prospect by the New York Mets in the 44th round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft...
to free agency, Beane attempts to devise a strategy for assembling a competitive team for 2002
2002 Oakland Athletics season
The Oakland Athletics' 2002 season involved the A's finishing 1st in the American League West with a record of 103 wins and 59 losses, despite losing three key players to larger market teams: 2000 AL MVP Jason Giambi to the New York Yankees, outfielder Johnny Damon to the Boston Red Sox, and closer...
but struggles to overcome Oakland's limited player payroll. During a visit to the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, Beane meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill Feldstein , known professionally as Jonah Hill, is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, and comedian. Hill is best known roles for his roles in Superbad, Knocked Up, and Get Him to the Greek. He made his theatrical debut in I Heart Huckabees, alongside Jason Schwartzman and Dustin...
), 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, 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 would probably have gone to college 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
Sabermetrics
Sabermetrics is the specialized analysis of baseball through objective, empirical evidence, specifically baseball statistics that measure in-game activity. The term is derived from the acronym SABR, which stands for the Society for American Baseball Research...
approach to scouting players. Rather than relying on the scouts' experience and intuition, Brand selects players based almost exclusively on their on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...
(OBP). By finding players with a high OBP but 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
Chad Bradford
Chadwick Lee "Chad" Bradford is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was well known for his extreme submarine-style pitching, and his success in MLB despite his unconventional delivery and the slow speed at which he threw the ball led to him figuring prominently in the Michael Lewis...
(Casey Bond
Casey Bond
Casey Bond is an American actor, and former professional baseball player for the San Francisco Giants organization. He has appeared in the television series Gene Simmons Family Jewels, numerous commercials and print ads, and played the role of Chad Bradford in the 2011 film Moneyball.- External...
). Following the free agent signings, Beane finds that he also faces opposition from Art Howe
Art Howe
Arthur Henry Howe Jr. is a former Major League Baseball infielder, coach, scout and manager. He is an alumnus of the University of Wyoming...
(Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman is an American actor and director. Hoffman began acting in television in 1991, and the following year started to appear in films...
), 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
Carlos Peña
Carlos Felipe Peña is a Dominican professional baseball left-handed first baseman. He played previously with the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs.Although he was born in Santo Domingo and his family is from San Francisco de Macorís,...
) 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
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
. Like many baseball players, Beane is superstitious and avoids attending or sometimes even following games as they are in progress. His family convinces him to go to the A's game against the Royals, as Oakland is already leading 11–0 after the third inning and appears set to continue their winning streak. Beane arrives, only to watch the team go to pieces and allow the Royals to even the score. Finally, the A's do clinch the victory with a walk-off home run
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
by one of Brand's picks, Scott Hatteberg
Scott Hatteberg
Scott Allen Hatteberg is a former American Major League Baseball first baseman and catcher.- Early life :...
. Despite all their success, the A's lose in the first round of the postseason, this time to the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. 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
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, despite an offer of $12.5 million a year salary, which would have made him the highest paid GM in baseball history. Also noted is Boston's World Series victory soon after in 2004
2004 World Series
The 2004 World Series was the Major League Baseball championship series for the 2004 season. It was the 100th World Series and featured the American League champions, the Boston Red Sox, against the National League champions, the St. Louis Cardinals...
, based on the theories that Beane pioneered.
Cast
- Brad PittBrad PittWilliam Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
as Billy BeaneBilly BeaneWilliam Lamar "Billy" Beane III is a former Major League Baseball player and the current general manager and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics...
, general managerGeneral managerGeneral manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of the Oakland Athletics - Jonah HillJonah HillJonah Hill Feldstein , known professionally as Jonah Hill, is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, and comedian. Hill is best known roles for his roles in Superbad, Knocked Up, and Get Him to the Greek. He made his theatrical debut in I Heart Huckabees, alongside Jason Schwartzman and Dustin...
as Peter Brand, Beane's assistant general manager - Philip Seymour HoffmanPhilip Seymour HoffmanPhilip Seymour Hoffman is an American actor and director. Hoffman began acting in television in 1991, and the following year started to appear in films...
as Art HoweArt HoweArthur Henry Howe Jr. is a former Major League Baseball infielder, coach, scout and manager. He is an alumnus of the University of Wyoming...
, the manager of the Oakland Athletics - Chris PrattChris PrattChristopher Michael "Chris" Pratt is an American actor, best known for his roles as Harold Brighton "Bright" Abbott in the television series Everwood, the recurring character Winchester "Ché" Cook in season 4 of The OC, Andy Dwyer in the television series Parks and Recreation and for portraying...
as Scott HattebergScott HattebergScott Allen Hatteberg is a former American Major League Baseball first baseman and catcher.- Early life :...
, A's first basemanFirst basemanFirst base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team... - Casey BondCasey BondCasey Bond is an American actor, and former professional baseball player for the San Francisco Giants organization. He has appeared in the television series Gene Simmons Family Jewels, numerous commercials and print ads, and played the role of Chad Bradford in the 2011 film Moneyball.- External...
as Chad BradfordChad BradfordChadwick Lee "Chad" Bradford is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was well known for his extreme submarine-style pitching, and his success in MLB despite his unconventional delivery and the slow speed at which he threw the ball led to him figuring prominently in the Michael Lewis...
, A's submarineSubmarine (baseball)In baseball, a submarine pitch is one in which the ball is released underhand and just above the ground, with the torso bent at a right angle and shoulders tilted so severely that they rotate around a nearly horizontal axis...
relief pitcherRelief pitcherA relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter... - Stephen BishopStephen Bishop (actor)Stephen Bishop is an American actor. He has appeared on the television series Lost, Girlfriends, and The Game, and in the independent film Americanese. He appeared in the movie The Rundown with The Rock...
as David JusticeDavid JusticeDavid Christopher Justice is a former outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves , Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , and Oakland Athletics .-Early life:David was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Robert and Nettie Justice...
, A's outfielderOutfielderOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder... - Royce ClaytonRoyce ClaytonRoyce Spencer Clayton is an American former Major League Baseball shortstop and occasional actor.-Baseball career:Clayton was born in Burbank, California. He was drafted out of St...
as Miguel TejadaMiguel TejadaMiguel Odalis Tejada was a Major League Baseball infielder who has played for the San Francisco Giants, the San Diego Padres, the Houston Astros, the Baltimore Orioles and the Oakland Athletics...
, A's shortstopShortstopShortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the... - David Hutchison as John MabryJohn MabryJohn Steven Mabry is a former Major League Baseball player. He had 898 career hits in 3409 at bats , with 96 home runs and 446 RBI...
, A's utility playerUtility playerIn sport, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently, a sort of jack of all trades. Sports in which the term is often used include association football , baseball, rugby, rugby league, water polo and softball.... - Kathryn MorrisKathryn MorrisKathryn Morris is an American actress, best known for her lead role as Detective Lilly Rush in the CBS series Cold Case.-Career:...
as Tara Beane - Robin Wright as Sharon, Beane's ex-wife and mother of Casey
- Kerris DorseyKerris DorseyKerris Lila Dorsey is an American child actress. She is best known for her role as Paige Whedon on the TV series Brothers & Sisters from 2006 to 2011 and for playing Billy Beane's daughter, Casey Beane, in the 2011 film Moneyball.Dorsey has also appeared in the films Walk the Line and Just Like...
as Casey Beane
Cast notes
- "Peter Brand" is a composite characterComposite characterA composite character is a character composed of two or more individuals, appearing in a fictional or non-fictional work. Two fictional characters are often combined into one upon adaptation of a work from one medium to another, as in the film adaptation of a novel...
partly based on Paul DePodestaPaul DePodestaPaul DePodesta is the Vice President of player development and scouting for the New York Mets. He was formerly a Front Office assistant for the San Diego Padres...
, who did not want his name used in the film. - Robert KotickRobert KotickRobert A. Kotick , also known as Bobby Kotick, is the CEO, president, and a director of Activision Blizzard.- Early career :...
, CEO of Activision BlizzardActivision BlizzardActivision Blizzard, Inc., formerly Activision, Inc. is the American holding company for Activision and Blizzard Entertainment. The company is majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA and was created through the merger of Activision and Vivendi Games, announced on December 2, 2007, in a...
, makes an uncredited cameo appearanceCameo appearanceA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
as former A's owner Stephen SchottStephen SchottStephen Schott is a real estate developer and businessman from California, best known for his ten-year co-ownership of the Oakland Athletics.-Early life and career:...
. - Spike JonzeSpike JonzeSpike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
has a small uncredited role as Alán. - Musician Joe SatrianiJoe SatrianiJoseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
appears as himself, performing the The Star-Spangled BannerThe Star-Spangled Banner"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
on electric guitar.
Production
Stan Chervin developed the first initial drafts of the screenplay after Columbia Pictures bought rights to Lewis's book in 2004, however, once Brad Pitt committed to the project in 2007 Chervin dropped out. Steve Zaillian was signed to write a second screenplay, and David FrankelDavid Frankel
David Frankel is an American director, screenwriter and executive producer. He is the son of Max Frankel, a former executive editor of The New York Times...
was signed to direct.
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and an Academy Award-winning film director. He is best known for directing commercial Hollywood films like Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and the remake of Ocean's Eleven, but he has also directed smaller less...
was subsequently signed to replaced Frankel. 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.
Scott Hatteberg
Scott Hatteberg
Scott Allen Hatteberg is a former American Major League Baseball first baseman and catcher.- Early life :...
and David Justice
David Justice
David Christopher Justice is a former outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves , Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , and Oakland Athletics .-Early life:David was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Robert and Nettie Justice...
were slated to play themselves in the movie.
On June 19, 2009, days before filming was set to begin, Sony put the picture on hold. 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
Bennett Miller
Bennett Miller is an American film director.Miller is the director of the feature Capote , a film for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Director. He also directed the documentary film The Cruise...
. Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse...
wrote a third version of the screenplay, which turned the character of Paul DePodesta
Paul DePodesta
Paul DePodesta is the Vice President of player development and scouting for the New York Mets. He was formerly a Front Office assistant for the San Diego Padres...
, to have been portrayed by Demetri Martin
Demetri Martin
Demetri Martin is an American comedian, actor, artist, musician, writer and humorist. Martin is best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, contributor on The Daily Show and for his Comedy Central show Important Things with Demetri Martin.- Early life :Demetri Martin was born to a Greek...
, into a composite character, for which Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill Feldstein , known professionally as Jonah Hill, is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, and comedian. Hill is best known roles for his roles in Superbad, Knocked Up, and Get Him to the Greek. He made his theatrical debut in I Heart Huckabees, alongside Jason Schwartzman and Dustin...
was cast.
Filming began in July 2010. Filming locations included Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
, the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
and Blair Field
Blair Field
Blair Field is a stadium in Long Beach, California. It originally opened in 1956 and is primarily used for baseball. It holds 3,238 people. It is named for Frank Blair, the sports editor for the Long Beach Press-Telegram newspaper for 32 years....
, while studio shooting took place at Sony's Culver City studios.
Critical reception
Moneyball has received high critical acclaim. The review tallying website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 164 of the tallied 173 reviews were positive, for a score of 95% and a certification of "fresh" stating: "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". 38 out of 39 of the sites tallied reviews from "top critics" (members of major news outlets or other critics the site considers prominent) have been positive. In comparison, Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gave the film an average score of 87 based on 41 reviews.
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'.
Awards and honors
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Film Critics Circle 2011 New York Film Critics Circle Awards The 77th New York Film Critics Circle Awards, honoring the best in film for 2011, were announced on 29 November 2011.-Winners:*Best Actor:**Brad Pitt – Moneyball and The Tree of Life2. Michael Fassbender - Shame3. Jean Dujardin - The Artist... |
Best Actor New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking.... |
Brad Pitt Brad Pitt William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one... also for The Tree of Life |
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| Best Screenplay New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay is one the annual film awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle.-1950s:-1960s:-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... |
Aaron Sorkin Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse... and Steven Zaillian Steven Zaillian Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian is an American screenwriter, film director, film editor, producer, and founder of Film Rites, a film production company. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay for Schindler's List and he has been nominated two times for Awakenings and Gangs of New York... |
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| People's Choice Awards 38th People's Choice Awards The 38th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2011, will be held on January 11, 2012 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and were broadcast live on CBS at 9:00 pm ET.On November 8, the nominees were announced... |
Favorite Drama Movie |