10 replies to this topic

[Brett]

Thoughts on the film? Every time I see the trailer, I can't help but think they're trying to give it a 'Major League' spin, which seems hacky.

Obviously we all know the story already, but it does look moderately interesting. Then again, for those of us who know baseball quite well, these kinds of "mainstream" things tend to be really superficial and annoying.

[packman711]

It looks entertaining enough to the mainstream that the gf wouldn't mind going, but baseball enough that I won't fall asleep during. I'm just curious to the accuracy of the movie. Never let the truth ruin a good story, right?

[Brett]

"The A's have won the World Series! I don't believe it!!!"

[MichiganGoat]

I'm shocked it was made since the finality of the story is that they didn't win it all, if they won a world series or even made it the WS then I could see this as an amazing story worthy of a film.

What is often not discussed about the whole Moneyball story is that yes he used advanced sabermetrics to find value out of mediocre players, but the real success was home grown quality pitching.

[Internet Random]

I'm guessing it's going to be good. A movie doesn't generally attract that caliber of actors if the script blows.

Check Sorkin's other writing credits, if you're not familiar.

[MichiganGoat]

I'm guessing it's going to be good. A movie doesn't generally attract that caliber of actors if the script blows.

Check Sorkin's other writing credits, if you're not familiar.

Well said, a good movie is less about the actual story but the quality of the screenplay, acting, and directing. So maybe it can be unique but without a winning ending the story is less than desirable.

[hardtop]

i havent gone to the theatre to see a movie since the dark night, im going to go see this one. i love baseball movies (except for air bud)

the more i read about billy beane and this 03 team, the more i DON'T want him as a GM. He's over committed to a methodology that worked, like, once, and eric chavez did not work at all.

[packman711]

i havent gone to the theatre to see a movie since the dark night, im going to go see this one. i love baseball movies (except for air bud)

the more i read about billy beane and this 03 team, the more i DON'T want him as a GM. He's over committed to a methodology that worked, like, once, and eric chavez did not work at all.

Even Angels in the Outfield 2??

[EndlessBacklash]

The Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill castings definitely are interesting choices to say the least. Pitt has the whole "slick-talking professional with a hint of con man" down cold. I'm sure he'll have plenty of clever Rusty-esque quips, a la "Oceans 11,"
I saw that they had him brazenly proclaiming "We are card counters at a casino!" to his staff and scouts in the movie even though Michael Lewis used that as his own descriptor in the book.

I don't know if I can sit through the whole two hours staring at a bespectacled Jonah Hill without thinking, "This is the guy they got to play the Paul DePodesta inspired character? The kid who rubbed up against the menstruating coed in "Superbad?" The guy who had to babysit an alcohol and drug fueled character played by Russell Brand?". At this point, I'm fully expecting Michael Cera to make a cameo as an awkward banjo-hitting college second baseman with a high
OBP that the A's are trying to sway as a high potential draft pick.

I'm sure it will be Hollywood-ized all over the place, as the book lends itself to that kind of underdog treatment in many respects. They'll probably take out most of the details of sabermetrics, because let's face it, all of the discussion of advanced statistics isn't the going to be the reason the girlfriend/wife comes with you to the movie. You can put it in the same category as professional poker, indie music, and fantasy sports teams. If you're not passionate about it, you're
probably not going to care at about it at all.

I'll definitely go see it, and who knows. . . Maybe this Hollywood cocktail will end up being more successful than I expected. There might even be a chance to drop some sick pick-up lines.
(After watching the movie with my date)
"Hey girl, I just want you to know that I'm like Kevin Youkillis. I very often get to
first base and have the potential to go all the way!".

[EndlessBacklash]

I read Keith Law's review of Momeyball and I can't say I'm surprised by the response.

Michael Lewis, the author of "Moneyball", actually had a response after reading Law's criticism of both the movie and book:

"I don't understand why he goes from being -- when I interviewed Keith Law, and I did, at length -- he was so nasty about scouts and scouting culture and the stupidity of baseball insiders. He was the reductio ad absurdum of the person who was the smarty pants who had been brought into the game and was smarter than everybody else. He alienated people. And now he's casting himself as someone who sees the value of the old school. I can't see where this is all heading and why. But I learned from experience that the best thing to do is ignore it, because it goes away."

Ouch.

For the record, I think Keith Law is a very intelligent guy, someone with a wealth of baseball knowledge and experience that serves as a valuable resource.

It's just that as much as he denies it, his review is actually biased:

A ). His disdain for Jonah Hill's stat-loving Paul DePodesta-inspired character being depicted as overweight, bland, weak (intimidated by the players), and having no sense of style. It seems he clearly took that personally because he had the SAME role with J.P. Riccardi's Toronto teams as DePodesta did with Beane's Oakland teams. You can't fault him for his bias, because he was IN the book and he probably doesn't fit the stereotypes that Hill's character portrayed. (Like the "All Accountants are boring and anti-social" or "All Lawyers are ambulance-chasers" stereotypes)

B ). His new-found sudden appreciation for the "old-school?". *Ding Ding Ding*. It's his current job! His job is to observe and rate minor-league prospects and *GASP* actually watch them in person! Something "Moneyball" looked down upon. I believe Lewis when he said a younger Law acted the way he did. It's just that evolution of the game and the fact that Law might not have expected his baseball job to morph into what it has today.

Law's review? I could totally end up believing every word of it after watching the film. And biased? Absolutely. Who wouldn't be after witnessing something so connected to your own life?

[Brett]

Whoa. I hadn't seen the Michael Lewis response. That's hilarious.

Keep in mind, as well: DePodesta was the guy who recommended Keith Law to the Blue Jays. So it's pretty easy to understand why Law would hate the depiction of Jonah Hill's character.