Revisiting MONEYBALL in 4K

MONEYBALL (4K UHD)

2011 / 133 min

Sony

Available at MovieZyng

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Bronx Bomber😺

There’s something about baseball and movies that go together like peanut butter & jelly. I generally find the sport as exciting as paying the bills, but slap it on the big screen and something magical happens. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen more baseball films than actual games, seldom coming across one that wasn’t at least watchable…and re-watchable.

The game is inherently cinematic, and Moneyball is a classic example that it can be just as dramatically compelling off the field. Adapted from the bestselling book, it tells the story of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), a former ballplayer who becomes the general manager of the Oakland A’s. Tasked with rebuilding the roster with a fraction of the resources afforded other teams, he forgoes traditional scouting and begins acquiring overlooked (and affordable) players using unorthodox data created by his new assistant, Peter Brand (Jonah Hill). 

Because none of this sits well with the rest of his staff, including manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Moneyball ends up being an underdog story both on and off the field. I don’t know how much of the behind-the-scenes drama is accurate (nor do I care), but since the A’s 2002 season really was an underdog story, much of what we’re seeing rings true, as do the nuts and bolts of the trading and recruiting process. 

"Good thing we got here early."

But no amount of authenticity would resonate without engaging characters, which the film provides with its two protagonists. Beane is especially well-developed…smart, ambitious and driven (almost obsessively), yet haunted by his past and somewhat uncertain of his future. He’s well realized by Pitt, as is Brand by Hill, whose performance might be even more impressive because it’s atypical of the roles he was largely known for at the time. 

Like all great sports-themed films, Moneyball remains supremely re-watchable. If not one of the best baseball movies ever made, masterfully capturing the cinematic drama inherent within the game (even outside of the ballpark), it certainly feels like one of the most authentic ones. After years of being available only on Blu-ray and DVD, it’s finally been given a 4K UHD release. There aren’t any new bonus features (the ones included here are carried over from previous editions), but the video transfer is excellent overall, as is the 5.1 DTS-HD audio track. I also gotta say I really like the new slipcover, which nicely reflects the iconoclastic nature of its main character. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Billy Beane: Re-Inventing the Game features director Bennett Miller, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, original Moneyball author Michael Lewis and Billy Beane; Drafting the Team is about the film’s cast; Moneyball: Playing the Game takes a look at the baseball scenes, locations and sets; Adapting Moneyball covers how the book became a movie.

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