Moneyball DVD Review
Posted by Tony Farinella on 01.11.2012
Moneyball, one of the best reviewed films of 2011, is out on DVD! How does the DVD hold up? Check out our full review!
I will start off this review by saying that Moneyball is one of my favorite movies from 2011. I’ve gone back and forth with this one, and I don’t know if I like it more than Warrior. It is definitely in my top two. With all that being said, you do not have to be a fan of baseball to enjoy Moneyball. You might appreciate it more, but this is not a baseball movie at the end of the day. This is a human drama about wanting to succeed at something and doing whatever it takes with whatever you have to make it happen. It’s about living and dying with each success and each failure. If you have ever cared about something so much that you live, sleep, and breathe it, you will relate to Moneyball and get something out of it
Moneyball is based on Michael Lewis’ 2003 book of the same name. It follows the Oakland Athletics and their 2002 season. You see, their 2002 season was a challenging one after losing to the Yankees in 2001 and also losing top free agents like Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi, and Jason Isringhausen. Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, the general manager of the A’s, who is put in charge of fielding a winning team to compete with the big dogs like the Yankees. He doesn’t have the financial power to compete with them, so he has to work that much harder to find little-known gems and young prospects for his team. Basically, he has to outsmart them and be one step ahead of the game. Sadly, before long, all of the prospects he has found will end up going to the big markets for the big bucks. Needless to say, his job is not an easy one.
Billy Beane hires Yale economics graduate Peter Brand, played by Jonah Hill, to help him change up his team. Peter has a unique way of assessing the talent of baseball players. He focuses more on a player's on-base percentage. With this method, he believes he can field a team that will compete and even defeat the big dogs of Major League Baseball. Of course, this method is a direct slap in the face to what talent scouts and years of baseball history have proven to be true. Even the coach of the A’s, Art Howe, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, looks at Beane and Brand like they are aliens from outer space. Beane knows, however, that he has to do something radical and drastic if he has any hope of changing things up and going against the grain. The season is mixed with highs and lows, but one thing is for sure: they did it their way.
Moneyball, which has Aaron Sorkin as one of its screenwriters, is sharp as a razor. It knows what it means to be a fan. As a fan, you live and die with your team. It’s the same with general managers. When it boils down to it, they are fans as well. They care just as much as we do. Moneyball understands the anguish of being a fan, the highs of winning, and the painful lows of losing. You can’t shake it. Even though it’s a sport’s movie and it shows fandom, that fandom can be translated in any walk of life. When you see the bags under the eyes of Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, you can see how much he puts into his team and how much it means to him. He wears it all over his face. In his mind, he’s just trying to make up for his failed MLB career. The film shows flashbacks to his unsuccessful journey. The man is tormented, but that’s part of his genius. It makes him dangerous. You don’t want to compete against someone that wants it that badly.
Brad Pitt is perfectly cast as Billy Beane. He has the man’s confidence down along with his inner pain and long past full of regrets and what if’s. He carries the film with his charm and bravado. This is Brad Pitt’s finest performance and best. Jonah Hill downplays his usual maniac comedy and settles in nicely as Peter Brand. He’s smart and witty without trying too hard. Phillip Seymour Hoffman has always been one of Hollywood’s most underrated, perhaps under appreciated actors, and he’s great here as Art Howe trying to get a new contract while also trying to figure out his team and Billy Beane’s methods. He has worked with director Bennett Miller before in 2005’s Capote, and they seem to work very well together as an actor/director team. Miller lets the story tell itself without a lot of stylistic touches to take away from the human drama on screen. He does get the grand scale of baseball right with his shots of the ballparks and the baseball scenes. They have just the right amount of drama in them.
The more I write about Moneyball, the more I might just have made up my mind: Moneyball is my favorite movie of 2011 and the best picture of the year. It has everything you could want in a movie and more. It has the drama, the acting, the big moments, and a big heart to boot. I fully expect and hope that Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill will be nominated for Academy Awards for their performances. As I’ve stated previously, you do not have to be a baseball fan to get something out of this one. You just have to be a fan of classic storytelling and superior acting. I can’t recommend this film enough. It’s a great one.
DVD Info:Moneyball is released via Sony Pictures on 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. It features subtitles in English, Chinese, Spanish, French, and Korean. The sound is 5.1 Dolby Digital. It looks fantastic and really creates the mood and the feel of the film.
Special Features:
Reinventing the Game (16 minutes): This special feature focuses on Billy Beane and dives even deeper into how he put together the Oakland A’s. We also hear from Michael Lewis on what it was like writing the book. This is a very informative special feature that is a nice companion piece to the movie.
Deleted Scenes (12 minutes): Only three deleted scenes are included here, and I wouldn’t exactly call them deleted. They are more like extended scenes. I thought the film was perfect as it was, and the deleted scenes sort of make the scenes feel a little long in the tooth. There is an odd scene with Brad Pitt in there as well, but I will let you see that for yourself.
Blooper with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill (3 minutes): This simply shows both actors trying to keep a straight face during a more serious scene and failing, more specifically Brad Pitt.
Moneyball: Playing the game (19 minutes): This shows us the making of the film and how much time, thought, and effort went into making sure everything was authentic and real. They wanted to get the look and feel of Major League Baseball down pat. This is an extensive special feature and really makes you appreciate the film even more and how hard they worked at it.
The 411: Moneyball is the best film of 2011. If you haven’t seen it yet, now is a great time to pick up the DVD. If you are a big fan of the film, like me, you will enjoy watching it again and again, as you discover even more that you might have missed the first time. Thankfully, the DVD is jam packed with a ton of special features that enhance the movie even more. The only thing missing is a commentary track. I can’t say enough good things about Moneyball.
