Month: May 2022

Today’s quick review: Moneyball. Reeling from a crushing late-season loss, the Oakland Athletics try to rebuild their roster for the coming year. To cope with their shoestring budget, general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) takes a chance on Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a young analyst with revolutionary ideas about the sport. Together they set out to assemble a winning team out of undervalued players using a strategy no one believes will work.

Moneyball is a sports drama based on a true story. Faced with the challenge of competing with teams that have up to three times his budget, Billy Beane turns to statistics to fill the Athletics’ roster, flying in the face of decades of baseball tradition. Moneyball takes this unique subject matter and backs it up with solid acting, writing, and presentation style. However, the nature of the story will make it a dry watch for some viewers.

Moneyball makes for an odd sort of underdog story. The Athletics are clearly outclassed by their rivals, but their secret is not heart but statistics. Seeing Billy and Peter work out their system is interesting enough on its own, and there is some good tension as it’s put to the test during the season. But the movie ends up caught between its cold central conceit—that only the numbers matter—and its need to mean something on an emotional level.

How much you get out of Moneyball will depend on your taste in drama. Those drawn to tales of ingenuity, perseverance, and rational thinking will get everything they want out of the movie, with a couple of good character moments to boot. Those who prefer more romantic stories, where the emotional arc comes first and realism comes second, will find that Moneyball is a strange inversion of the underdog formula that’s not as viscerally satisfying.

For a jazzier attempt to game the system, try 21 or The Wolf of Wall Street. For a baseball drama with a greater focus on the sport, try The Natural. For a baseball comedy with a more conventional underdog story, try Major League.

7.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for solid craftsmanship, unique material, and hit-or-miss emotional payoff.

Today’s quick review: Two for the Money. After an injury cuts short his football career, Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey) finds his calling selling football picks to gamblers. His record catches the eye of Walter Abrams (Al Pacino), the smooth-talking owner of a successful sports betting hotline. Walter offers Brandon a job, and soon the two of them are raking in the cash. But Brandon risks losing it all when his success goes to his head.

Two for the Money is a drama about sports betting and the price of success. Matthew McConaughey stars as Brandon Lang, a young tipster with a winning track record. Al Pacino plays opposite him as Walter Abrams, a flashy businessman who takes Brandon under his wing. Two for the Money shows the complex relationship between the two men and the way it fractures as Brandon loses his edge. The movie features solid character work and a decent story.

The heart of Two for the Money is its characters. Walter makes for an interesting figure. His business success is as much due to flash as substance, and his affable exterior hides his inner faults, including a paranoid streak, a gambling addiction, and a loose relationship with the truth. The one person keeping him under control is his wife Toni (Rene Russo), a woman with enough patience to keep Walter’s wilder impulses in check.

Two for the Money delves into the way Walter’s personality rubs off on Brandon, turning him from an earnest go-getter to the egotistical salesman Walter wants him to be. Their story has some good ups and downs as Brandon peels back the layers of Walter, the gambling business, and himself. However, the story itself is not that special. Two for the Money isn’t as flashy as other tales of wealth, and its ending doesn’t wrap things up as well as it could.

Two for the Money is a fine pick for anyone willing to spend some time with some believably flawed characters. The movie is much more modest than other movies that have similar premises, but its good performances and the subtle layers in its relationships let it bring something unique to the table. Those who prefer flashier stories, more masterful emotional arcs, or characters who are easier to like may want to steer clear.

For a wilder story about financial success and ruin, try The Wolf of Wall Street. For one with a more biographical angle, try Molly’s Game. For a drama about a man who nearly ruins himself gambling, try Rounders, The Gambler, or Mississippi Grind. For a financial drama with a similar relationship between its leads, try Wall Street. For an even more powerful performance from Al Pacino, try Donnie Brasco.

6.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for believable characters missing the story to use them to their fullest.