Poll: Is 'Moneyball' a major league Oscar player?

As "Moneyball" opens nationally in theaters, it looks like it's going to hit it out of the park. It's already a big hit with film critics, scoring 87 at Metacritic. BoxOfficeGuru projects that "Moneyball" will bring in an impressive $16 million in ticket sales this weekend. But how will it play at the Oscars?

"Moneyball's" creators have serious Oscar pedigree: director Bennett Miller ("Capote"), writers Steven Zaillian ("Schindler's List") and Aaron Sorkin ("The Social Network") and star Brad Pitt ("Babel," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button").

However, Pitt has a problem. He has another strong role in the Oscar derby this year: "Tree of Life." Rumor has it that he'll campaign in lead for "Moneyball" and in supporting for "Tree of Life," but some academy members may believe that his performance in "Tree" is really a lead too and that it has more gravitas. His two bids could cancel each other out.

Baseball movies don't traditionally do well at the Oscars. Yes, "Pride of the Yankees" (1947) was nominated for 10, but it won only for film editing. "Field of Dreams" (1989) was nominated for best picture too, but it lost. "Bull Durham" (1988) and "The Natural" (1984) struck out in the top contest completely, despite widespread belief that they might get nominated.

RELATED:

Poll: Will Melissa McCarthy be an Oscar contender?

Enter the 'Dragon': David Fincher's latest Oscar bait

The latest list of Oscar entries for foreign-language contest

-- Tom O'Neil

Photo: Brad Pitt in "Moneyball." Credit: Columbia Pictures

Is 'Moneyball' an Oscar heavy-hitter?

"Moneyball" played well on Thursday at its media and industry screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. Thanks to it being truthful to its real-life story, it doesn't have the kind of rousing finale that invites standing ovations, but many viewers admired it as expert filmmaking. Given the pedigree of its creators –- director Bennett Miller ("Capote"), writers Steven Zaillian ("Schindler's List") and Aaron Sorkin ("The Social Network") and star Brad Pitt ("Babel," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") -– it's clearly an Oscar contender, but how serious?

Pitt hits it out of the park as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane. He gets to emote largely here -– his character is freighted with worry, glowing with love for his daughter, hurling furniture across rooms -– but he has a problem. Because he's portraying a sports figure, the role doesn't have artsy pretension. By contrast, his rival role this year in "The Tree of Life" does have that. Yes, Pitt is lead in "Moneyball" and supporting in "Tree of Life," but if academy members wish to hail him only in one role, it will probably be in "Tree of Life."

A double nomination is not impossible, though.  As recently as 2004, Jamie Foxx was nominated in the supporting slot for "Collateral" the same year he won in lead for "Ray."

But this film's big Oscar problem is that it's about baseball, a topic that hasn't done well at the Oscars. Historically speaking, a baseball flick did win at least one Academy Award -- film editing for "Pride of the Yankees" (1947). True, it was nominated for 10 more, including best picture and actor (Gary Cooper) that year, but failed to score. "Field of Dreams" (1989) was nominated for best picture too, but it lost. "Bull Durham" (1988) and "The Natural" (1984) struck out in the top contest completely, despite widespread belief that they might get nominated.

-- Tom O'Neil

RELATED:

"Moneyball" comes to bat after lineup changed midgame

Brad Pitt's "Moneyball" swings for the fences [Trailer]

Films big and small head to Toronto festival in search of buzz

Photo: Brad Pitt in "Moneyball." Credit: Sony Pictures

 

Oscars 2012: Who's going to be on next year's best picture list?

 
Are you as burned out on 2010's Oscar season as we are? If so, take a look into the future to see who we are going to be tired of by next February. We've compiled a completely arbitrary -- but intriguing -- list of what films could be making it to the winner's circle in 2012. Feel free to chime in with your predictions because, really, this time next year we will all likely have been proved wrong.

(Please note: these are in no particular order.)

1. "Contagion": Steven Soderbergh, Oscar winner for "Traffic," is back with another ensemble piece, this time an action-thriller centered on a team of doctors that must deal with a deadly disease outbreak. The film features an all-star cast with Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Marion Cotillard, along with this year's nominee in the supporting actor category John Hawkes. It may be too "Bourne Identity" for the academy but it's not a bad place to start. (Opens Oct. 21)

2. "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close": Stephen Daldry ("The Reader") helms this adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's novel about a 9-year old boy who searches New York City for a lock that matches a key left by his father (Tom Hanks), who was killed in the Sept. 11 attacks. Eric Roth ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") adapted the book and the pedigree of cast and filmmakers has Oscar written all over it. And for that extra boost, uber-producer Scott Rudin is behind this one too. (Not yet dated.)

3. "The Descendants": Alexander Payne ("Sideways") is finally back with a new film, seven years after "Sideways" was released. Payne adapted Kaui Hart Hemmings' novel about a Hawaiian land baron, played by George Clooney, who tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident.(Not yet dated.)

4. "Tree of Life": Terrence Malick ("The Thin Red Line") has returned with Brad Pitt and Sean Penn starring in a story of a Midwestern family in the 1950s. The film has been kicking around a while but that seems to be more an issue of a corporate distribution shuffle than any knock against the film. (Opens May 27)

5. "The Iron Lady": Meryl Streep pairs up with her "Mamma Mia" director Phyllida Lloyd in this biopic of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The script is written by British playwright Abi Morgan and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" writer Michael Hirst. Jim Broadbent co-stars as Mr. Thatcher. The British-financed flick does not yet have a U.S. distributor.

Golden Globes: Brad and Angie cause a commotion

Brad Pitt said the least as he walked up to the 68th Golden Globe Awards but caused perhaps the biggest stir on the red carpet.

The actor wasn't nominated for anything, but he still posed for several photos in his capacity as Angelina Jolie's plus one. Nominee Jolie conducted some interviews, though most of the press didn't get that much.

But the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., which craves A-list celebs on the red carpet, no doubt got exactly what it wanted.

-- Steven Zeitchik

Photo: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on the red carpet.  Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press