Moneyball, on its release in 2011 was met with praise from baseball fans around the world. With a star studded cast including the likes of Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Phillip Seymour Hoffman the film made its mark with it being one of the most profitable baseball movies of all time. The movie explores the challenges that GM Billy Beane and his assistant Peter Brand went through when they began implementing an analytical way of evaluating players throughout the 2002 MLB season. The movie is praised for how it is based so much on real events but are these feelings valid? Throughout the movie there are some interesting exaggerations and additions that may alter your perception of this underdog story.
The first example of the film stretching the truth is the entire character of Peter Brand. The film portrays Billy Beane’s assistant general manager as an unathletic, insecure Yale graduate who has no baseball experience but has a distinct vision for how MLB teams can improve their evaluation of players through the ideals of his hero Bill James. In reality, the real assistant was a person named Paul DePodesta who was an ex athlete, playing baseball and football at Harvard, and was very sure of himself and his outlook on the game of baseball. While the stark changes in the character make the relationship in the movie much more humorous and interesting it leads the audience on to a false perception of this real life figure.
Another example of the film stretching the truth a bit thin would be the portrayal of the opinions of the Oakland A’s executives and scouting team members. While it is true that much of the baseball world was a bit confused on why the A’s were focusing so heavily on analytics, the members of the Oakland A’s staff were actually very supportive of this innovative shift for the organization. The film makes it out that Billy Beane and his assistant had no supporters in the clubhouse but this simply is not true. I understand why film makers would stretch the pushback a bit more than what it actually was, but yet again this is another falsehood throughout the movie.
While this movie has its fair share of partial falsehoods it does not take away from its greatness. This film, exaggerations or not, is a must watch if you’re a baseball fan. Great acting and amazing camera work make this film a standout compared to its counterparts. If you wish to watch this film you can find it on Netflix or Prime Video.
