Movie Title: Moneyball
Grade: A-
Rating: PG-13, 133
minutes
In a Nutshell: Based on a true story, this smart sports
movie hits a home run. The heavy-hitting
cast includes Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman (I miss him), Robin
Wright, and Chris Pratt.
Uplifting theme:
- “Adapt
or die.” – Billy Beane (Brad Pitt)
- “How
can you not be romantic about baseball?” - Billy
- “I’ll
change the game. I want it to mean
something.” - Billy
- Baseball
is about people, not statistics.
- “There
is an epic failure going on in the game to understand what is going on.” –Peter
Brand (Jonah Hill)
Things I liked:
- Director
Bennett Miller uses interesting camera angles to help you “see” things
differently. He also jumps from the
roar of the crowd to complete silence to help you “feel” things
differently.
- Writer
Aaron Sorkin is a master at quick-talking deals and clever wit. Some of the dialogue scenes are simply
hysterical.
- Brad
Pitt gives a stirring performance, even though most of the time he is
snacking on something or chewing gum. I know, I know...that's baseball.
- You hear the voice of sports announcers
Bob Costas and Tim McCarver.
- There are some big game moments on the field, but also some big moments that happen in the heart.
Things I didn’t like:
- At
times the flashbacks get jumbled up with the present day and break up the
flow of the story.
- I hate
it when brilliant, visionary protagonists get away with being jerks. For example, Billy is constantly pushing
over desks and throwing chairs in childish tantrums.
- If you’re
not a baseball fan, you might be a little bored at first and not
understand some of the references to legends and players. Keep watching.
Funny lines:
- “I’m not going to fire you.” – Billy
“F-You!” – Grady Fusion (Ken
Medlock)
“Now I am.” - Billy
- “Who’s
Fabio?” – John Poloni (Jack McGee)
- “That
sounds like fortune cookie wisdom to me, Billy.” – Grady
“No, that’s just logic.” – Billy
- “I asked you to do 3 evaluations. How many did you do?” – Billy
“47. Actually, 51.
I don’t know why I lied just then.” - Peter
- “Do
you want me to speak?” – Peter
“Yeah, when I point at you.” –
Billy
- “It’s
not that hard. Tell him, Wash.” –
Billy
“It’s incredibly hard.” – Ron Washington
(Brent Jennings)
- “Good
meeting. Every time we talk, I’m
reinvigorated by the love of the game.” – Billy, sarcastically to Art Howe
(Phillip Seymour Hoffman)
- “What’s
your biggest fear?” – David Justice (Stephen Bishop)
“A baseball being hit in my general
direction.” – Scott Hatteberg (Chris Pratt)
“No. Seriously.” – David
“Seriously, that’s it.” - Scott
Billy’s advice:
- “When
you get the answer you’re looking for, hang up.”
- “You
may not look like a winning team, but you are one. So, play like one tonight.”
- “Is
losing fun? Then what are you doing
having fun?”
Tips for
parents:
- 2
F-bombs. Wait, this is PG-13 movie,
right? According to the MPAA, PG-13
movies are only allowed 1 F-bomb, unless a vote earns a two-thirds majority
saying it’s ok to have more. Lame.
- There’s
a scene where a baseball player starts to take his pants down and dances
on a table, but you don’t see anything.
- It’s actually a really safe movie for kids, although they may be a bit bored with all of the talk of statistics and economics of the game.
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