Moneyball (2011) | 100 Movies Every Catholic Should See #145

Directed by Bennett Miller. Starring Brad Pitt.

The first one through the wall always gets bloody.

The notion that we live in a post-Christendom society is not new. Echoed since the 18th century and exacerbated by war and institutions, one would be naïve to deny the decline of Christian values across the world. Despite the world and it’s current state, we are continuously called to evangelize and spread the gospel. Despite not having explicit references to Christianity, Moneyball oddly enough can serve as a secular example of perseverance through persecution and what real “trusting the process” can look like.

Moneyball is based on the 2003 novel of the same name about the 2002 Oakland Athletics season. For those unfamiliar, the Oakland A’s are/were the most notorious cheapskates in all the MLB (yes even more than the Pirates if you can believe it). With a quick google search one will see that the A’s did not win the World Series or make it particularly far in the post season, which begs the question, “What was so special about this particular season and team?”

The film follows Billy Beane, the manager of the A’s, and his quest to change the game of baseball. Initially, he is merely looking for a way to survive the next season after losing his star players (a struggle us smaller market teams have become accustomed to). While trying to impossibly piece together a presentable team, he stumbles across Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) and forms an unlikely bond with the socially awkward and underappreciated deputy to defy the odds with a new approach to baseball.

The concept of “Moneyball” originated in the 1970’s but was never fully attempted until the 2002 Oakland season. Moneyball is a method of selecting and placing players based on their statistics and pricing. A team may need to replace a player that gets on base on average twice a game. If they can’t afford the top candidate, they may go and find someone who statistically matches that good player, but has some oddity that makes them an “undesirable” player (injury prone, age, attitude etc). It’s a team’s way of getting the best statistical “bang for their buck” so to speak.

While the concept does have some flaws (using 3 players to replace 1 tends to create a thinner roster), the Boston Red Sox would go on to adopt the philosophy with a larger purse and finally break the curse of the Bambino. Many teams since this incident have also adopted this modified Moneyball with great success.

Moneyball has so much to do with finding success in failure. Billy’s vision to change baseball for the better was in the end realized, but just not quite in the way he envisioned it or thought it would happen. He, like us all too often, thought he understood the path and the steps that needed to be taken. We too often in our spiritual lives think we know all the steps we need to take and how exactly God is going to plan out our lives. But what we need to do is what Billy does throughout the film: trust the process. Beane throughout the film is mocked, scorned, and seen as flat out crazy for this new approach. This harkens back to Saints such as St Francis of Assisi or the founders of other religious orders who were first seen as odd in their desire to reshape how some approach the faith. Through divine inspiration and perseverance, they were able to radically transform the spiritual life of the Catholic Church forever.

Brad Pitt gives a career-defining performance as Billy Beane. This character feels so real and authentic it can be hard to see him something else and his later films. Beane is the kind of father that is needed in the 21st century. He holds firmly to what he believes and will see it through until it is done, through thick and thin. This hearkens back to older, more traditional heroes and reminds us of a Time when men constantly weren’t put down. There are even moments where rather than be emasculated, Pitt’s character decides to ignore grievances and push on. He constantly is willing to give those who often don’t even believe in themselves a chance to become something more than they could possibly imagine.

The other stand-up performance in this is Jonah Hill, who perfectly plays the highly intelligent but socially awkward nerd type that he was initially famous for. He is usually awkward, but never to the point where it breaks the audience’s immersion. In fact he can feel quite relatable and is a fun variable throughout the film. The excellent and subtle score by Mychael Danna helps accentuate the bitter sweet yet optimistic tone of the film that carries all the way to the credits.

The true tragedy of this film is that Bennett Miller only went on to do one more feature film after this. Miller has been quiet since Foxcatcher in 2014¹. Miller perfectly translated Sorkin’s fantastic adaptation to the screen with exceptionally clean shot composition and incredible pacing that really helps Moneyball’s rewatchability. It’s never too flashy, but never too bland.

Moneyball is a remarkably rewatchable and feel good film that on paper doesn’t seem like it would be. In spite of it’s bitter sweet ending, it gives audiences a lot to ponder about dedication to a higher purpose and seeing things through all the way to the end.

1. Editor’s Note: Miller is currently working on a new film!