"Moneyball"? How About "Boston Blues"?
Starring: Justin Timberlake as 30-Something Boston Blue Sox General Manager Theo Epstein (aka "Alex Goldstein")
Premise: The Boston Blue Sox are a historically beloved yet perennially disappointing major league baseball team that has, in the new millennium, become the hottest ticket in town and the most successful franchise in the game, largely due to their fine management team, led by GM Goldstein and the ownership troika of billionaire financial wizard John Henry (aka "Hank William", played by William H. Macy), television producer Tom Werner (aka "Dana Dunphy", played by Paul Giamatta), and the brilliant but mercurial ball buster Larry Lucchino ("aka Franz Wilhelm", played by Harrison Ford).
It is late in the season. Mid-September. The team is in the midst of a four game, weekend series, played at historic Munjoy Field located in the Munjoy section of Boston, against one of the poorer clubs in their division. The playoffs are in sight but still weeks away. The team and its management know they will likely win all four games against the much weaker opponent, and try to guard against complacency. The protagonist of "Boston Blues", Goldstein, must juggle many balls over the weekend: Trying to keep the owners, his fellow management personnel, and the coaches, players, and dozens of peripheral employees happy and focused.
Among the problems to be managed by Alex are: groupies looking to make babies with millionaire athletes, aged and bitter ushers, concession stands where food quality is a constant concern, ongoing contract negotiations with players young and old and their agents, the seating in various sections of the ballpark of players wives/girlfriends/mistresses without having vicious catfights break out among the women, weird team promotions and endorsements thought up by "The Surgeon" ("Stuart Weinberg", played by Crispin Glover (just kidding)), making sure no one gets beaned by an errant ball during batting practice, a language barrier among the Spanish and English speaking players, aged former players who just want a minute of Alex' time to ask for a job, local big shot businessmen who also want a minute of Alex' time, not having The National Anthem singer fuck up the words, and ever present autograph hounds, all while trying to work in his 20 daily bathroom visits, as Alex has Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
First Scene:The movie would open to the broadcasters booth, high up in the press box overlooking the field, 45 minutes before game time. The team's television announcers are working on the intro to tonight's game that will run on the team's cable network, fucking it up repeatedly, and battling boredom and arrogance in their attempt to get the opening done prior to air. They speak into an open mic, which we can hear, making disparaging remarks about the owners, players, and stadium in between takes. Their only concern is the fastest exit route through Munjoy to their suburban homes following the last pitch.
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Influences: I see this movie in the style of classic sports comedies like "Slap Shot, "Bull Durham", "Major League" and the original "The Longest Yard": A loving, funny and wise yet cynical look at what goes into putting on a professional baseball game, with all its historical contexts and traditions, compromises, thrills, and comedy. A movie like "Caddyshack" would be the goal: Funny yet loving of its subject matter. And no love story.
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Well, that's a start. Now I just need to type this fucker into a 120 page script and get an agent. Should be no problem.
Yeah.
Premise: The Boston Blue Sox are a historically beloved yet perennially disappointing major league baseball team that has, in the new millennium, become the hottest ticket in town and the most successful franchise in the game, largely due to their fine management team, led by GM Goldstein and the ownership troika of billionaire financial wizard John Henry (aka "Hank William", played by William H. Macy), television producer Tom Werner (aka "Dana Dunphy", played by Paul Giamatta), and the brilliant but mercurial ball buster Larry Lucchino ("aka Franz Wilhelm", played by Harrison Ford).
It is late in the season. Mid-September. The team is in the midst of a four game, weekend series, played at historic Munjoy Field located in the Munjoy section of Boston, against one of the poorer clubs in their division. The playoffs are in sight but still weeks away. The team and its management know they will likely win all four games against the much weaker opponent, and try to guard against complacency. The protagonist of "Boston Blues", Goldstein, must juggle many balls over the weekend: Trying to keep the owners, his fellow management personnel, and the coaches, players, and dozens of peripheral employees happy and focused.
Among the problems to be managed by Alex are: groupies looking to make babies with millionaire athletes, aged and bitter ushers, concession stands where food quality is a constant concern, ongoing contract negotiations with players young and old and their agents, the seating in various sections of the ballpark of players wives/girlfriends/mistresses without having vicious catfights break out among the women, weird team promotions and endorsements thought up by "The Surgeon" ("Stuart Weinberg", played by Crispin Glover (just kidding)), making sure no one gets beaned by an errant ball during batting practice, a language barrier among the Spanish and English speaking players, aged former players who just want a minute of Alex' time to ask for a job, local big shot businessmen who also want a minute of Alex' time, not having The National Anthem singer fuck up the words, and ever present autograph hounds, all while trying to work in his 20 daily bathroom visits, as Alex has Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
First Scene:The movie would open to the broadcasters booth, high up in the press box overlooking the field, 45 minutes before game time. The team's television announcers are working on the intro to tonight's game that will run on the team's cable network, fucking it up repeatedly, and battling boredom and arrogance in their attempt to get the opening done prior to air. They speak into an open mic, which we can hear, making disparaging remarks about the owners, players, and stadium in between takes. Their only concern is the fastest exit route through Munjoy to their suburban homes following the last pitch.
============
Influences: I see this movie in the style of classic sports comedies like "Slap Shot, "Bull Durham", "Major League" and the original "The Longest Yard": A loving, funny and wise yet cynical look at what goes into putting on a professional baseball game, with all its historical contexts and traditions, compromises, thrills, and comedy. A movie like "Caddyshack" would be the goal: Funny yet loving of its subject matter. And no love story.
============
Well, that's a start. Now I just need to type this fucker into a 120 page script and get an agent. Should be no problem.
Yeah.
posted by joe sweeney at 6:01 AM
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