BIG SCREEN
Movie: Moneyball
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“Moneyball”, which bagged six Oscar nominations, though it didn't win any, shows us how some smart screenwriting, can create magic out of a book, based on a rather mundane subject like, the economics of baseball.
True to life
This Brad Pitt-starrer, tells the story of the 2002 season in the American baseball league, and has enough depth to be classified as an outstanding movie.
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When a film is based on a true story, there is a certain level of honesty that is brought along. “Moneyball” does the same. It depicts how Billy Bean, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, takes them to a record streak of 20 wins, despite having a ridiculously low budget. Billy takes the help of an economics graduate from Yale, who applies his uncanny methods of statistical analysis.
Billy's past, in which he had miserably failed as a player despite being hailed as a rare talent, by the experts, adds another dimension to the story. That failure serves as an inspiration for Billy, to defy the conventional baseball wisdom, later.
Billy had very low expectations set for him, by the team management, since they were unable to raise the budget.
Still, the zeal to succeed drives him forward. In the climax, Peter tells Billy, that the huge amount of money that was offered, tells him that he is worth it, which is one of the best, and the most meaningful dialogues of the movie.
“Moneyball” makes you wonder about the intricate beauty of life, even though, from a perspective of sports. The quote shown at the beginning, ‘It's amazing how much you don't know about the game that you've been playing all your life', literally comes alive, towards the end of the movie. We start to realise, how much clueless we remain, about life, no matter however rational and reasonable we try to be.
It's highly probable that the baseball jargon discourages you, in enjoying this film, to the fullest, considering the fact that baseball is not a popular sport, in our part of the world.
Bottomline: A suave and exceedingly well written sports drama.
SUDEEP NAIR C., Assistant systems engineer, TCS