It’s so money. Photo by coreanscribe.
I got the chance to catch an early screening of “Moneyball” last Friday night. I really connected with the movie and found myself loving it. It’s understated yet dramatic with solid writing and a great sense of humor. It’s a must-see for baseball fans. My favorite film so far this year.
I enjoyed Michael Lewis’s book when it came out several years ago. It’s an incredibly insightful, educational and entertaining look at how general managers in professional baseball put their teams together. It’s also about sabermetrics, stats, Bill James and how they all affected and changed the way to look at the game of baseball. It’s really like a business text book. It just happens to take place in the world of major league baseball, focusing on Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane.
When I learned that Steven Soderbergh was to adapt it, I didn’t think it could be done, let alone in a compelling cinematic way. The book was about a math lesson, not a drama. When Soderbergh left the project, I wasn’t surprised. It just reaffirmed my belief. But I was wrong. I have to give Brad Pitt credit for sticking with the project. He found a good director in Bennett Miller, who directed “Capote,” and was smart enough to bring on Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian to re-write the script. They not only made the story work, but they hit it out of the park, turning the story about sabermetrics into one about redemption. I demand all my movies to be re-written by Sorkin and Zaillian from now on. The best compliment I can give the film is that I found myself rooting for Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s as I was watching the movie, and I’m a Seattle Mariners fan.