Rated PG-13 for some strong language.
Starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Directed by Bennett Miller (Capote)
Moneyball hits it out of the park.
Based on a true story, Moneyball is a movie for anybody who has ever dreamed of taking on the system. Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s and the guy who assembles the team, who has an epiphany: all of baseball’s conventional wisdom is wrong. Forced to reinvent his team on a tight budget, Beane will have to outsmart the richer clubs. The onetime jock teams with Ivy League grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) in an unlikely partnership, recruiting bargain players that the scouts call flawed, but all of whom have an ability to get on base, score runs, and win games. It’s more than baseball, it’s a revolution – one that challenges old school traditions and puts Beane in the crosshairs of those who say he’s tearing out the heart and soul of the game.
Many of you know that I am a football fan and a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan at that. I love all the Pittsburgh teams which means I am by default a Pittsburgh Pirates fan…and they haven’t been good in over 20 years. Needless to say, I’m not a huge baseball fan. But I loved Moneyball – mostly because of Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.
These two are hilarious…the ultimate odd couple. Pitt is the 40-something pretty boy and Hill is the 20-something overweight nerd. Perfect!
As you think about whether or not you are going to check it out, let me say this…most movies about baseball are as boring as the game itself. Sure there are a few exceptions like Field of Dreams and Major League, but for the most part it’s zzzzzzzzzzzzz. So when I found out Moneyball is more about baseball statistics than about baseball…I was like, forget it!!
But this movie is actuality about much more than just numbers. It’s about change. It’s about innovation. It’s about transforming a system. And like all great sports movies, it’s really about people.
This is also a true story – which is (in my opinion) always better. And like most “true stories” there is some artistic license. Beane is real; Brand is apparently a fictional composite. And the true success of a computer-driven approach to assembling pro baseball teams remains a question for some. But the movement did begin in Oakland.
What’s beyond question is the way Pitt and Hill work off each other. Beane is the lifelong golden boy who is still frustrated by never “making it” and Brand is the smartest guy in the room who has always been ignored. He has complete confidence in his system, and Beane sets him free to live his dream. That’s powerful.
Moneyball is about the human spirit, the determination to do whatever it takes and learning some valuable lesions along the way. It’s Theater Worthy.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Kids can see it…but every man needs to see it.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: Moneyball is a story about perseverance. Billy finds himself in that difficult situation where everyone thinks he’s crazy…and he even wonders about himself. At one point he even asks “What the h*** am I doing?” But Billy decides to stick with Peter’s system, even when it means trading two stars.
Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: What are some of the more difficult things you have faced? Tell me about it.
Read Romans 5:3-4 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
So how do you think that verse is/was true in your story?
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: How do we persevere like Billy did in Moneyball and like Paul encourages us to do in Romans?
And if we don’t persevere, what is our other option?
So many sports movies have this theme…Don’t quit, never give up. I encourage you to do the same.
