Nobody Knows Hollywood

Director: Rupert Goold Year: 2015 A true story is not necessarily an interesting one, a fact proven by this mess of a movie. The easy pickings for criticism begin with Jonah Hill – a very talented and enjoyable actor who is out of his depth in this leading role. After turning in excellent (and, to some, surprising) dramatic performances in Oscar-nominated supporting roles in Moneyball and the Wolf of Wall St., Hill, or someone in his camp, decided it was time to take a crack at a dramatic leading man role. I’m not saying he can’t or won’t someday be successful in that effort, but this wasn’t time. Nor was it completely his fault. The script and the direction lack clarity and vision. And, as the two greatest opponents in any communications endeavor are confusion and boredom, True Story pulls of the cardinal double no-no. First time feature film Director Rupert Goold had a potentially interesting story and some capable talent in his hands but simply...

The movie is slow -- sometimes delightfully, sometimes painfully. In that respect, it mirrors the game the film covers. But baseball is not the main theme of the film; redemption and the pain of chasing ones own ghosts serves that role. Billy Beane (played masterfully by Brad Pitt) is out to prove to the baseball establishment that they're not selling jeans. What he means by that is there is more to winning in the game than how things look. The Yankees are glamorous in every aspect. They look great, they pay the most and they play in the biggest media market in the world. The reality is, Oakland is not New York, ergo the Athletics are not the Yankees. But does that mean they can't compete? No. But it does require them to channel their inner Steve Jobs and "think differently". The backlash Beane (in the film) takes for this approach is enormous and omnipresent. The media (presented mostly through V.O. across radio and television airwaves) is a constant critic. When t...