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    Big League Stew

    ‘Moneyball’ gets six Oscar nominations: Will it win any awards?

    By David Brown | Big League Stew – Tue, Jan 24, 2012 11:50 PM EST

    Jonah Hill gave an understated performance playing Peter Brand in 'Moneyball' and it resulted in an Oscar nomination …"Moneyball" the movie continues to surprise and excel. It received six Academy Award nominations on Tuesday, including four biggies: best picture, lead actor (Brad Pitt), supporting actor (Jonah Hill) and adapted screenplay. It was also nominated for film editing and sound mixing.

    It's a shame that Bennett Miller wasn't nominated for directing, and the real snub was Wally Pfister missing for cinematography, yet it's still amazing that Hollywood even produced a nonfiction project about a baseball team that doesn't win the World Series. Not only has "Moneyball" been a box office hit, but it's also on the verge of being an Oscar winner in one or more categories. But what are its actual chances of winning?

    The Bovada sports book in Las Vegas is taking bets on the elite categories and they give "Moneyball" 30-to-1 odds to win best picture. It could shock the world — as there isn't a crystal-clear frontrunner — but the only longer shot among the nine nominees is "Tree of Life" at 50-1. Pitt, at 10-to-1 for lead actor, is the third choice after George Clooney and Jean Dujardin. It seems like Clooney's moment.

    Bovada is not taking bets on supporting actor or the writing categories, but that's where "Moneyball" has the best chance to win.

    It's not considered a big surprise that Hill's performance as Peter Brand earned a nomination, but he'll be going up against the likes of Christoper Plummer, Nick Nolte, Kenneth Branaugh and Max Von Sydow. Plummer probably should be considered the favorite, but Hill is a strong dark horse.

    The backbone of "Moneyball" is a strong adapted screenplay. Steven Zaillian (left), Stan Chervin and Aaron Sorkin …

    Writers Steven Zaillian, Stan Chervin and Aaron Sorkin have been nominated a combined 16 times by different organizations for their screenplay, which was adapted from the Michael Lewis book. They have six wins so far. At the Oscars, "Moneyball's" adapted screenplay will be up against "The Descendants," "Hugo," "The Ides of March" and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy." But "Moneyball" has outperformed them all so far, in nominations and wins. It should be no worse than 50-50 to win the Oscar. "The Descendants" will win if it doesn't.

    Who knows how to handicap film editing and sound mixing? But there could not have been a better looking movie than "Moneyball," which took natural advantage of baseball's aesthetic beauty. That's why it should have a shot at some kind of visual award.

    So, to review: Best picture: probably not. Lead actor: probably not. Supporting actor: possibly. Film editing: possibly. Sound mixing: no earthly clue. Adapted screenplay: most likely.

    Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook

     

    9 comments

    • juls
      juls  •  3 months ago
      Ridiculous. Moneyball was a decent feel good flick, Pitt was good and Hill was just a more subdued version of himself. Really nothing that far from his performance in Superbad. Terrible decision.
    • Michael G
      Michael G  •  Ann Arbor, Michigan  •  3 months ago
      I see a lot of movies each year, and yes I'm a huge baseball fan, but I think Moneyball was the best out of the ones up for best picture. Granted, I haven't seen The Artist yet, but still. It'd be a huge step forward in the revival of good baseball movies.
    • Nick P
      Nick P  •  Millersville, Maryland  •  3 months ago
      "Moneyball'' now have a chance to win the first major Academy Awards for a baseball movie.
    • Rick Schatz
      Rick Schatz  •  Louisville, Kentucky  •  3 months ago
      Moneyball won no pennants! Moneyball wins no Oscars! Correct me if I'm wrong but I do not believe Moneyball ever got out of the Divisional Round As I recall Moneyball did not teach Jeremy Giambi how to slide thus costing them a series victory over the Yankees who by the way just spent money like a drunken sailor
    • A Yahoo! User  •  New York, New York  •  3 months ago
      Pitt carried MoneyBall on his back. He should win best actor. He was better than Hill, who should not win supporting actor.
    • Santiago B
      Santiago B  •  3 months ago
      This is ridiculous. Jonah Hill will now be spoken of in movie trailers as "Oscar nominated" for a role that wasn't even worthy of being Oscar nominated.
    • JpNYC23
      JpNYC23  •  3 months ago
      I hope it loses every category except Supporting Actor. Hill is a longshot, but I like him as a person. Pitt is not a very good actor and is merely a bankable star. The idea that a loser franchise changed the game of baseball is complete nonsense. Thet have not won squat with the moneyball theory and neither should this hyped up movie.
      • Michael G
        Michael G 3 months ago
        Ahem, Tampa Bay Rays anyone?
      • A Yahoo! User 3 months ago
        JpNYC23. You missed the point. The A's were so successful with the MoneyBall approach that teams throughout MLB began to copy the approach of using advanced statistical analysis to exploit market inefficiencies. The A's no longer have the huge edge they did ten years back because, as the movie noted, teams like the Red Sox embraced the A's Moneyball approach, winning the World Series. The Tampa Bay Rays totally exploit market inefficiences and have taken it even further. Yes, even the NY Yankees have more than twenty people in their quantitative analysis department. something that didn't exist a decade back. The Mets finally got on board last year, as did the Cubs this year, so I'd expect improvements from both those teams, although it will take a few years. Beane started the revolution, but he no longer has the edge, and his biggest problem now is he has a lousy ballpark that generates little revenue. The Rays have the same problem, and even they will begin to sink to the bottom of the division again unless they can improve their revenue sources. Both teams need to move to new parks.
    • FavreRules
      FavreRules  •  Mississauga, Canada  •  3 months ago
      If Hill wins, it will just show how much of a joke this whole thing is,,,the guy plays the same type of character in EVERY movie...
      • Michael G
        Michael G 3 months ago
        Except for Moneyball, where he actually played a relatively serious character.
      • FavreRules
        FavreRules 3 months ago
        So he played the same character, minus most of the humor...still the same character...
    • Aboop
      Aboop  •  3 months ago
      It still probably sucked compared to the book. Yanno those things people use to read to gain knowledge, form opinions, all the while being entertained. Now we pay 10 dollars to have someone tell us how to think/feel. No thank you.
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