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I went to see Money Ball over the weekend. I liked it just fine. The problem was I had read the book and loved the book and nobody in history has ever liked the movie as much as a book they read and enjoyed. I knew this going in. You see Money Ball the book is probably the least interesting topic anyone would ever want to make a movie about. It follows the A’s management team for a few seasons and the strategies they used to evaluate and draft players. It doesn’t end in a glorious victory and the main character is a former player turned GM who has no interesting personality traits whatsoever.

Read the book, or don't it really doesn't matter.

Money Ball the movie loosely follows this premise. A’s GM Billy Beane is there, his assistant Paul Depodesta is there albeit with a different name. The concept of on base percentage being undervalued is a theme that runs through the movie. The scene where Beane pulls of the Rincon trade is a key scene in both and I thought they did a good job showcasing it. Chad Bradford, David Justice and Scott Hattenberg are all characters from the book that are prominently featured in the movie. This is where the issues started for me. Having majored in Film in college I understand the need for central characters that the audience can identify with and follow throughout the film. I just had to ignore the nagging part of my brain that kept saying “THAT NEVER HAPPENED” every 20 minutes of the movie.

Billy Beane seems like a nice enough guy in the book and comes off as very smart but this being Hollywood and Brad Pitt being Brad Pitt, the character has to ooze with charisma, something that Beane doesn’t exactly come off with in the book. They also gave him a daughter who he may or may not have in real life but who is non-existent in the book. Actors like the characters they play to have a “depth” to them and the daughter did that while also helping to create most of the films “awww” moments.

The 2002 baseball amateur draft played a huge part in the book and did not get a mention in the movie until the scene in the end with Jeremy Brown, which actually did happen (although Brown was not nearly that fat in real life). There was no way to include the draft scenes in the movie without bringing it to a screeching halt and causing everyone who isn’t a giant baseball nerd to hate it so I understand its omission.

I think my biggest gripe with the film was that it made it seem like they hired the assistant GM character in 2002 (Jonah Hill in the film and Paul Depodesta in real life) and THAT’S when all the advanced stats stuff started coming into play. In reality this was a gradual thing over many seasons and the 2001 team was also built around this premise.

I think he got the "Oh fuck i shit myself I hope nobody notices" look down pat.

I don’t hate everything about the movie. As a Met fan I enjoyed Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s portrayal of Art Howe, a man who would best be described as underwhelming. Not to pile on Art but I think there’s a reason he hasn’t managed in the Major leagues since the Mets. I enjoyed Pitt’s toned down Lt Aldo Raine accent. Hill and Pitt both did a terrific job and the movie had a few legitimately funny parts to it. Beane’s daughter was good and the part where she sings was a nice touch. Her character was not in the book but this scene fit with the movie that was made.

Killing Nazis and drafting high OBP guys

 I think that last line perfectly explains my feelings on this movie. I was never going to love it and I knew that going in. My range of feelings would be “despise it’ to “It was fine”. I love baseball but this movie wasn’t made for me. It was made for people who don’t pour over box scores and obsess over stats and numbers. It was made for the girlfriends and sisters and friends that don’t follow this stuff that closely of the people that read the book. I think in the end my biggest gripe was that the movie was called Money Ball. I think I would have enjoyed “Differently named baseball movie starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill”. Calling it Money Ball forces my brain to compare it to what I know Money Ball is and that was a comparison the film would never live up to.