Before we talk about Moneyball, the first thing we need to be clear about is what kind of movie are we talking about? How should it be classified? A regular Hollywood movie? That kind of Olympic-oriented film that is obviously going for awards has won a lot of awards-this is the first impression people have of this film today; it is not a big commercial production, even with Brad Pitt in charge. No, it seems to me that this movie is neither about winning the prize nor about the box office, but just to simply say something. First of all, it must be emphasized that this movie is not a baseball movie, but a baseball-based movie. In other words, the baseball coat just happens to divert the audience's attention and disguise the real sound of the movie. But it's this layer of careful cover-up that has caused the film to be sorely overlooked among 21st-century cinematic excellence, not getting the place it deserves -- and maybe that's what it wants. The film is based on real events and real people, and Pitt's baseball club manager Billy faces the dilemma of losing players, running out of funds, and in his own words "it's an unfair competition", but This is not really a problem. His real predicament came from the heart - he gave up the opportunity to enter Stanford, but chose to become a professional baseball player, and his career was a complete failure. His self-confidence was destroyed at a young age, and this was a shadow that would linger throughout his life. The film is about his efforts to get out of the shadows. He met Yale graduate Pitt, who introduced him to a new idea: using mathematical models to build teams. He is calm on the outside, but inside is like a crazy gambler. He resolutely uses this new concept to build the team regardless of the opposition of the chief scout, coach, media, and everyone. But he didn't have the bottom line in his own heart, he just wanted to grab it, whether it was a life-saving straw or the last straw that overwhelmed him. This gamble was like the one many years ago, he had no idea what was waiting for him, but this time he couldn't afford to lose again. Fortunately, this new route finally worked: the team created an unprecedented 20-game winning streak. But will this be the usual inspirational movie? He won everything back, walked out of the shadows of the past, and was reborn? Just like the voices we usually hear "hard work will always succeed" and "don't forget the original dream"? This involves the question of which paragraph of the film is really expressing its own point of view. It is the most exciting scene in the film-the team won 20 consecutive victories, and the team has achieved unprecedented achievements? Do not! This is not what the film is really trying to say, the film quietly hints - the team and fans cheering and celebrating outside the field, Billy celebrates silently in the dimly lit gym alone, he seems relieved, but there is nothing in the carnival outside. He -- even at the peak of the team, he's still alone. Victory was so thrilling, we almost believed it was going to be an inspirational movie. While the film concludes that the audience is still reeling in the euphoria of that victory -- it's only slightly the first real words to say -- the conversation between Billy and Pitt after the game, and at the end of the credits. In my opinion, it is no less important than the peak dialogue between Batman and the Joker in the prison in "The Dark Knight". But the post-match dialogue in "Moneyball" flashed by, and before I had time to pay attention, it entered the next scene. It seems that this is just a cutscene, not as serious as the latter. No doubt it was trying to hide its voice. Let's take a closer look at what this conversation is about: Billy and Pete are in the office watching a replay of the game. "You can't help but fall in love with baseball," Billy told Pitt. "It's a big event for fans. Tickets are sold out. Hot dogs are sold out...but it's pointless." 20 wins in a row." Billy responded, "and what's the point?" Pete reminded him, "We set a record." Billy: "Man, I've been in this business... listen. , man, I've been in this business for a long time, and I'm not here for the record, tell you, and I'm not here for the championship ring, there's always someone who gets hurt at times like this...if we lose the last championship game, they're still the same Don't care about us. I know these people, I know what they think, they'll wipe out our achievements, and everything we do, means nothing to them...but if we win, with this budget, this Team, we changed the rules of the game, that's what I want, I want it to make sense." Another conversation near the end of the credits, Billy had just turned down the highest-paid manager contract in sports history, Back to his small team: ) "I really want to win here, I really want to." Pete still doesn't get it: "I think you've got a big win." Billy told him, "Pete, we lost...we lost. (emphasized twice.) Pete: "It's only been a few days, you gotta give yourself a little time to get out." Billy: "Man, I'll never get rid of this... ever." Billy really just wants to change the rules of the game? It can be said that he rejected the invitation of the Boston Red Sox and chose to stay in this poor team, because in his opinion, the premise of changing the rules is "with such a budget, such a team", if in the rich Even if the team wins the championship, it can't make "this matter make sense" because it just proves the power of money. So, is the film's true intention to show a man trying to "change the rules of the game" on his own to get out of his shadow? Certainly not. To understand this, one has to understand what he meant by "this" when he later said "I can never get rid of this". "This" may appear to refer to the shadow of his failures, but it should actually refer to what he said before - baseball is still "fans rave, tickets sold out, hot dogs sold out, but nothing Meaning." Billy finally understood that even if he did change the rules, so what? (what's the point?). Changing anything doesn't change "this". It is at this moment that we truly see the sadness deeply hidden in this film: it is perhaps one of the greatest tragedies a person can experience - something or belief that is worth fighting for and dedicating one's life to, He (she) had doubts about it and no longer really believed it. Billy was a loser, the belief that once made up his life, his everything, he no longer believed. And because of that, he's a beautiful loser. He clearly saw his failure and admitted it to another man (who was too young to understand): whatever he could do and would do, in the end he would not stay Putting down any "meaning" doesn't change what he means by "this" - leaving "meaning" as an illusion. That's what this film is really trying to say - it questions everything we love and believe must be "meaningful," whether it's a passion for sports, pursuit of art, or personal struggle beliefs, a fervent desire to change society, etc... all of this is really meaningless. The film, like the beautiful underdog it portrays, clearly knows that the words aren't going to be understood by many people - just like Pitt in the film doesn't understand Billy, it can't say it out loud , can only be whispered in a secret way. Finally back to the original question: what kind of movie are we talking about? Of course, this is a standard Hollywood movie, with all the elements of a Hollywood movie, but some things are different. The key here is not how we perceive the film, but how the film sees itself - does it think the words it conveys have any meaning? If it really doesn't make sense, then why say it? This is no longer a question that I can answer within the scope of my ability, and I can only conclude by quoting a speech by Picasso at a banquet in his later years, which may be helpful: "When I am alone, I do not have the courage to use the ancient, The meaning of the great term to imagine myself as an artist. Giotto, Titian, Rembrandt are the great artists. I am just a public showman who knew his time and played it to the best of his ability All the stupidity, greed, and juggling of his contemporaries. This painful confession of mine is more painful than it actually means, but it feels the joy of confession."
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