Whenever "The Natural" is on TV, I stop what I'm doing and watch it. I don't know why, exactly. I have been a baseball fan since I was a little kid and love the tradition. There is no other sport that has as much history. It's because one can isolate moments in time. Situations develop. Every announcer says things like, "Bottom of the third, men on first and third, Turley on the mound, Simpson is up, he's two for four today. The wind is blowing out to right field, etc." We can make words visual. In this wonderful movie, a man wants a piece of that tradition. He makes a horrible mistake along the way to the big leagues, and now is given one last chance. This is mythical. This is not realistic. To criticize it on the basis of its credibility is unfair. Even to compare it to the book is unfair. They are totally different. What one does with a camera should not be compared to the printed page. Malamud did his thing and now Barry Levinson is doing his. The cinematography is without peer. It is magical all the way through. The lighting as Glenn Close stands up in the stands is mesmerizing. This is more Greek myth than baseball story, but it is a baseball story, with the Ruth like gods and the day-to-day players. Roy Hobbs is like all of us in some ways and we love him for his endurance, patience, and drive. Redford brings him to life with that rugged face moving away from lost youth. It's a fine film.
242 Reviews
The Ultimate Sports Fantasy Movie
ccthemovieman-125 October 2005
This is THE classic sports-Walter Mitty-fantasy movie, with an ending that may seem corny to cynical critics or those who prefer the book, but was perfect for me and a lot of other people.
Granted, I am a little biased in my review since the movie was made in the area in which grew up. Having made many trips to the ballpark in which the movie was filmed, and to the old-fashioned soda shoppe where Robert Redford and Glenn Close re-unite, this movie was special to all of us in Western New York. It always a kick, too, (and a bit odd) to watch the final scene since the opposing pitcher is a personal friend.
I think I would have loved this movie regardless of the "home-field advantage." It's an interesting, involving story that has you really rooting for Redford's character. To have actors like Close, Robert Duvall, Richard Farnsworth, Kim Basinger, Wilfred Brimley, Darren McGavin, Barabara Hershey, Robert Prosky, Joe Don Baker and others in the "lineup" doesn't hurt, either!
The cinematography is beautiful, too. That was something I never really appreciated until after several viewings. There are some wonderfully subdued brown and golden hues in here. This is very pretty motion picture.
All the characters - the good and the bad, and there are plenty of both - are fascinating. It's also nice to see an actor in a baseball film that actually knows how to throw, hit and field a baseball. This is a great, old-fashioned storytelling.
Granted, I am a little biased in my review since the movie was made in the area in which grew up. Having made many trips to the ballpark in which the movie was filmed, and to the old-fashioned soda shoppe where Robert Redford and Glenn Close re-unite, this movie was special to all of us in Western New York. It always a kick, too, (and a bit odd) to watch the final scene since the opposing pitcher is a personal friend.
I think I would have loved this movie regardless of the "home-field advantage." It's an interesting, involving story that has you really rooting for Redford's character. To have actors like Close, Robert Duvall, Richard Farnsworth, Kim Basinger, Wilfred Brimley, Darren McGavin, Barabara Hershey, Robert Prosky, Joe Don Baker and others in the "lineup" doesn't hurt, either!
The cinematography is beautiful, too. That was something I never really appreciated until after several viewings. There are some wonderfully subdued brown and golden hues in here. This is very pretty motion picture.
All the characters - the good and the bad, and there are plenty of both - are fascinating. It's also nice to see an actor in a baseball film that actually knows how to throw, hit and field a baseball. This is a great, old-fashioned storytelling.
My favorite baseball movie. Truly magical.
alfiefamily27 April 2004
A wonderful, magical fairy tale, and morality play. This is the type of movie that as a new father, I cannot wait until my son is old enough to watch this with me.
I know much has been made about Redford being too old to play Roy Hobbs. But much of the story asks you to believe in incredible things, so to me, this is a minor issue.
Everything about this movie is first rate. The cast which includes Redford, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley and a pair of terrific performances turned in by Robert Duval and Darren McGavin.
It is easy to see that all of the actors trust the material and believe in their characters.
Barry Levinson tells the story in a straight forward style, he doesn't try to build any false suspense or surprise twists. When you watch this movie you know exactly what is going to happen long before it does, but you don't care, because it unfolds intelligently and without pretense.
My two favorite components of this movie are the cinematography by Caleb Deschanel and the beautiful, moving score composed by Randy Newman. I first enjoyed Mr. Deschanel's work on "Being There", and felt Mr. Newman's score for "Ragtime" was the best score of 1981.
"The Natural" is so much more than a baseball movie. It is a story about faith, good and evil, right and wrong, fathers and sons. It is about all that is good in baseball and in life.
10 out of 10
I know much has been made about Redford being too old to play Roy Hobbs. But much of the story asks you to believe in incredible things, so to me, this is a minor issue.
Everything about this movie is first rate. The cast which includes Redford, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley and a pair of terrific performances turned in by Robert Duval and Darren McGavin.
It is easy to see that all of the actors trust the material and believe in their characters.
Barry Levinson tells the story in a straight forward style, he doesn't try to build any false suspense or surprise twists. When you watch this movie you know exactly what is going to happen long before it does, but you don't care, because it unfolds intelligently and without pretense.
My two favorite components of this movie are the cinematography by Caleb Deschanel and the beautiful, moving score composed by Randy Newman. I first enjoyed Mr. Deschanel's work on "Being There", and felt Mr. Newman's score for "Ragtime" was the best score of 1981.
"The Natural" is so much more than a baseball movie. It is a story about faith, good and evil, right and wrong, fathers and sons. It is about all that is good in baseball and in life.
10 out of 10
Pick me out a winner Bobby
sol-kay8 April 2006
****SPOILERS**** Wanting to be a professional baseball player since he first picked up a baseball as a little boy Roy Hobbs, Robert Redford, was on his way to becoming one when he was shot and almost killed by a unstable young woman fan whom he met the day before on a train traveling to Chicago where he was to be signed to play for a major league team.
With all of his hopes of becoming a major leaguer dashed and a faded memory at 19 Hobbs, 16 years later, now at the age of 35 is back from playing a year of semi-pro ball to play in the big leagues and see if he still has it as a middle-age rookie and if he can make the team. Playing anywhere he's needed, on the bottom-dwelling New York Knights, and hoping against hope that the manager Pop Fisher, William Brimley,will put him in the lineup. Pop does reluctantly only to find out that Roy was heaven sent to not only win the pennant for the Knights but to save him from being brought out by a bunch unscrupulous shysters and gangsters from his share of stock he has in the team.
At times corny but still very moving story that despite its unbelievable plot is based on a true story that's almost as incredible as the movie itself. On the evening of June 14, 1949 Phillie first baseman Eddie Waitkus was gunned down in his hotel room by a crazed female fan and admirer. Waitkus with a bullet in his gut was left almost bleeding to death with his future as a professional baseball player non-existent. In only a year Waitkus came back, literary from the dead, to guide the Phillie "Whiz Kids" to the 1950 National League pennant! The "Whiz Kids" Won it on the last day of the season, like Roy Hobbs' Knights did in the movie, against the heavily favored Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.
A real crowd pleaser with Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs out to prove to himself, as well as the sports world, that he still has what it takes to be a professional baseball player and comes across his old girlfriend Iris, Glenn Close. Iris unknown to Roy had and is raising his 15 year-old son Ted, Robert Rich III.
The movie "The Natural" has Roy torn between sweet and caring Iris and party girl and gold-digger Memo Paris, Kim Basinger,who together with the sleazy owner of the Knights Judge Prosky and big time bookie and gangster Gus Sands, Darren McGavin, wants Roy to throw the final game with the Pittsburg Pirates. This in order to put out Pop and make a killing betting against the heavily favored Knights.
Playing his heart and guts out Roy's past injury comes back to not only haunt but possibly kill him as his stomach wound opens up causing him to miss three games that the Pirates won. With the pennant on the line Roy, despite orders from his doctor not to, returns for the final do or die game at Knights Stadium and ends it, and his career, with a hot and sizzling Forth of July explosion on a cool windy and lighting struck October evening.
Predictable but still heart-lifting and exciting movie "The Natural" ranks right up there with the best baseball, as well as sports, films ever made. "The Natural" both beautifully and touchingly shows how the human spirit can overcome every obstacle that's thrown in front of it, natural or man made, when it frees itself from all the fears and negativity that's around it.
With all of his hopes of becoming a major leaguer dashed and a faded memory at 19 Hobbs, 16 years later, now at the age of 35 is back from playing a year of semi-pro ball to play in the big leagues and see if he still has it as a middle-age rookie and if he can make the team. Playing anywhere he's needed, on the bottom-dwelling New York Knights, and hoping against hope that the manager Pop Fisher, William Brimley,will put him in the lineup. Pop does reluctantly only to find out that Roy was heaven sent to not only win the pennant for the Knights but to save him from being brought out by a bunch unscrupulous shysters and gangsters from his share of stock he has in the team.
At times corny but still very moving story that despite its unbelievable plot is based on a true story that's almost as incredible as the movie itself. On the evening of June 14, 1949 Phillie first baseman Eddie Waitkus was gunned down in his hotel room by a crazed female fan and admirer. Waitkus with a bullet in his gut was left almost bleeding to death with his future as a professional baseball player non-existent. In only a year Waitkus came back, literary from the dead, to guide the Phillie "Whiz Kids" to the 1950 National League pennant! The "Whiz Kids" Won it on the last day of the season, like Roy Hobbs' Knights did in the movie, against the heavily favored Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.
A real crowd pleaser with Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs out to prove to himself, as well as the sports world, that he still has what it takes to be a professional baseball player and comes across his old girlfriend Iris, Glenn Close. Iris unknown to Roy had and is raising his 15 year-old son Ted, Robert Rich III.
The movie "The Natural" has Roy torn between sweet and caring Iris and party girl and gold-digger Memo Paris, Kim Basinger,who together with the sleazy owner of the Knights Judge Prosky and big time bookie and gangster Gus Sands, Darren McGavin, wants Roy to throw the final game with the Pittsburg Pirates. This in order to put out Pop and make a killing betting against the heavily favored Knights.
Playing his heart and guts out Roy's past injury comes back to not only haunt but possibly kill him as his stomach wound opens up causing him to miss three games that the Pirates won. With the pennant on the line Roy, despite orders from his doctor not to, returns for the final do or die game at Knights Stadium and ends it, and his career, with a hot and sizzling Forth of July explosion on a cool windy and lighting struck October evening.
Predictable but still heart-lifting and exciting movie "The Natural" ranks right up there with the best baseball, as well as sports, films ever made. "The Natural" both beautifully and touchingly shows how the human spirit can overcome every obstacle that's thrown in front of it, natural or man made, when it frees itself from all the fears and negativity that's around it.
A gorgeous mythical sort of baseball film that even non-sports fans can love.
planktonrules26 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Before I get into the review, I want to relate a little story about when I first saw this film. My girlfriend (now my gorgeous wife) and I set in front of some elderly folks who seemed to be having a hard time keeping up with the film. Repeatedly, we kept hearing them asking each other what had just happened. However, near the end of the film, I had a big laugh. When Roy (Robert Redford) hit the huge home run and the film went into slow-motion with sparks flying everywhere, we sat--marveling at the predictable but wonderful finale. When it was all over, we heard one of the folks behind us say "Did he hit the ball?!"---well, I guess you had to be there.
This is an amazingly loving tale--told with amazing care to get the look and feel of 1939 just right. It also showed an amazing reverence for baseball--not just real baseball, but the mythical and metaphorical game. The cinematography was amazingly beautiful and helped set the wonderful mood. And, the acting was terrific. The film is simply among the best sports films ever. But unlike some other great sports films (like "Raging Bull"), this one never attempts to be realistic and presents an amazingly idealized and nostalgic version of the game. Well worth your time and nearly deserving a 10.
This is an amazingly loving tale--told with amazing care to get the look and feel of 1939 just right. It also showed an amazing reverence for baseball--not just real baseball, but the mythical and metaphorical game. The cinematography was amazingly beautiful and helped set the wonderful mood. And, the acting was terrific. The film is simply among the best sports films ever. But unlike some other great sports films (like "Raging Bull"), this one never attempts to be realistic and presents an amazingly idealized and nostalgic version of the game. Well worth your time and nearly deserving a 10.
The greatest of them all
bkoganbing8 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Bernard Malamud's novel about baseball and lost opportunities in life was written
in 1952 but finally got to the big screen in 1984. Robert Redford is our protagonist Roy Hobbs who missed his big opportunity to have a career following
a shooting incident. 16 years later at an age when players are retiring he gets
signed as a rookie for the New York Knights (Giants) and becomes a Joe Hardy
like sensation.
Like Joe Hardy there's some deviltry at work in the form of Robert Prosky the team owner in league with Arnold Rothstein like bookmaker Darren McGavin who want to bet against the fast rising Knights powered by Redford.
The film has a real baseball feel to it and Malamud dipped into baseball lore to come up with his characters. Joe Don Baker as The Whammer is a not too veiled portrayal of Babe Ruth. Michael Madsen who crashes into the outfield wall and fractures a skull is based on Dodger outfielder Pete Reiser who ended his career though not fatally with too many encounters with Ebbets Field's outfield wall. Hobbs himself as we see him practicing in the Iowa cornfield is Bob Feller no doubt.
The Natural is impeccably cast besides those mentioned there is Robert Duvall the sportswriter who both eventually remember where he saw Redford before and who smells a rat in the pennant race. His character is based on legendary sportswriter Hugh Fullerton who discovered the Black Sox scandal. Wilford Brimley is the crusty old manager of the Knights and Richard Farnsworth his coach.
For a change women in this baseball movie got some roles of substance. Barbara Hershey is brief but memorable as a deranged baseball groupie who shoots Redford in the abdomen, said incident based on the shooting of Phillies first baseman Eddie Waitkus. Kim Basinger plays another baseball groupie, a temptress to lead Redford astray. And Glenn Close got a Supporting Actress nomination as his faithful girlfriend.
The Natural got other nominations for Best Music Score, Art Direction, and Cinematography.
Redford looked pretty good on the field, a lot better than Gary Cooper for instance playing Lou Gehrig. The Natural takes its place among the great films about baseball.
Like Joe Hardy there's some deviltry at work in the form of Robert Prosky the team owner in league with Arnold Rothstein like bookmaker Darren McGavin who want to bet against the fast rising Knights powered by Redford.
The film has a real baseball feel to it and Malamud dipped into baseball lore to come up with his characters. Joe Don Baker as The Whammer is a not too veiled portrayal of Babe Ruth. Michael Madsen who crashes into the outfield wall and fractures a skull is based on Dodger outfielder Pete Reiser who ended his career though not fatally with too many encounters with Ebbets Field's outfield wall. Hobbs himself as we see him practicing in the Iowa cornfield is Bob Feller no doubt.
The Natural is impeccably cast besides those mentioned there is Robert Duvall the sportswriter who both eventually remember where he saw Redford before and who smells a rat in the pennant race. His character is based on legendary sportswriter Hugh Fullerton who discovered the Black Sox scandal. Wilford Brimley is the crusty old manager of the Knights and Richard Farnsworth his coach.
For a change women in this baseball movie got some roles of substance. Barbara Hershey is brief but memorable as a deranged baseball groupie who shoots Redford in the abdomen, said incident based on the shooting of Phillies first baseman Eddie Waitkus. Kim Basinger plays another baseball groupie, a temptress to lead Redford astray. And Glenn Close got a Supporting Actress nomination as his faithful girlfriend.
The Natural got other nominations for Best Music Score, Art Direction, and Cinematography.
Redford looked pretty good on the field, a lot better than Gary Cooper for instance playing Lou Gehrig. The Natural takes its place among the great films about baseball.
Book Schmook! The Movie is VASTLY superior!
budmassey21 January 2004
As a writer, I am often compelled to read the books on which my favorite movies are based. Since its original release, I have loved The Natural as one of my favorite movies of all time, but it was only recently that I read Bernard Malamud's novel on which the movie was based. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was.
Malamud was a great writer, and was best known for winning a Pulitzer and the National Book award for The Fixer. His award winning work usually dealt with themes closer to his own heart, and Malamud didn't seem to "get" baseball in this book. Either that, or he had some axe to grind about baseball, and wanted us to hate it and all the people involved in it.
The Natural was Malamud's first novel and, as such, it suffers from shallow, simplistic characters, a muddy, at times almost unintelligible plot, and poorly attenuated subplots that almost seem like afterthoughts or clumsy devices slathered on to shore up weak story objectives. He does, however, have a historical understanding of baseball, and most of the events related to baseball in this story are composites of everything from the Black Sox to Babe Ruth to Christie Matheson and a string of other legends.
The main character, Roy Hobbs, is almost certainly based on the real life character Eddie Waitkus, and Malamud does little to imbue him with likable traits that would deepen him as a literary character. He even throws in a little Joe Jackson to compromise the character even further. The fact that he is called "Roy" is an obvious allusion to Sir Thomas Malory's 15th century opus "Le Morte D'Arthur." (Recall that "roi" is French for "king.") Why Malamud chose this story as a model is a mystery, since although he goes to great lengths to reinforce the Aurthurian connection (the baseball team is called the "Knights", the bat, "Wonderboy" is obviously "Excalibur"), he creates little of the Arthurian heroism in Roy Hobbes, or, for that matter, the sport of baseball as an allegory for the jousting of Chivalric heroes.
The character of The Whammer, played in the movie beautifully, if all too briefly, by Joe Don Baker, is more Ruth than Ruth, but he's gone in a flash, leaving yet another heroic void in the original story. And the women in The Natural are shallow, conniving and cheap and I have never been able to understand Malamud's literary allusions with regard to Morgan LeFave and Guinnevere, the women in Arthur's life. The Bad Guys in the book are ALL Bad, everyone else is mostly neutral, and there isn't any real good, or anything uplifting or affirming or positive in the whole thing.
Thank god for the movie. Barry Levinson's direction is gilded and glowing, and the whole film has a luminous aura that seems magical and enchanted and, compared to the wooden novel from which it came, a satisfying recast of the Arthurian legend. The screenplay was done by Roger Towne, who recently gave us The Recruit, and the changes he made to the story make all the difference in the world; less literary, perhaps, but more beautiful and elegant and not nearly so cynical and pessimistic. Compared to the Levinson/Johnson magic, the novel is almost amateurish, and recalls Ayn Rand's facile characters and stories, didactic and pedantic, and almost completely obscuring the Arthurian magic that Levinson coaxes from the story.
Once, when I had the chance to mention personally to Mark Johnson how beautiful The Natural was, he responded with a sincere modesty that fit the innocent tone of the movie, and he even gave me a keepsake from the film that I have to this day as a reminder of just how amazing an achievement this movie was, coming from so flawed a novel.
This was the first movie in which I loved Redford. He was older and deeper as an actor, and this was the beginning of his real golden age. Glenn Close was delightfully virginal and beautiful as a character almost completely created by the screenwriter, not the novelist. Kim Basinger is gorgeous and dangerous as the femme fatal, a portrayal that she would echo in her Oscar winning turn in L.A. Confidential.
Randy Newman's brilliant score was recycled a dozen times in subsequent movies, but none captured the beauty and nostalgia of The Natural. There are only a handful of movies so magnificently driven by their score, and The Natural remains Newman's best and most satisfying work.
In short, this is the best baseball movie ever. Whereas Malamud wanted to show baseball as jaundiced and commercial, Towne's screenplay shows us the baseball we loved as kids, and more. Malamud's dark and wholly unsatisfying ending is also rewritten, and if you find the final scene a little sweet, ask yourself if you really wanted to see the dismal finale that Malamud supplied.
Malamud was a great writer, and was best known for winning a Pulitzer and the National Book award for The Fixer. His award winning work usually dealt with themes closer to his own heart, and Malamud didn't seem to "get" baseball in this book. Either that, or he had some axe to grind about baseball, and wanted us to hate it and all the people involved in it.
The Natural was Malamud's first novel and, as such, it suffers from shallow, simplistic characters, a muddy, at times almost unintelligible plot, and poorly attenuated subplots that almost seem like afterthoughts or clumsy devices slathered on to shore up weak story objectives. He does, however, have a historical understanding of baseball, and most of the events related to baseball in this story are composites of everything from the Black Sox to Babe Ruth to Christie Matheson and a string of other legends.
The main character, Roy Hobbs, is almost certainly based on the real life character Eddie Waitkus, and Malamud does little to imbue him with likable traits that would deepen him as a literary character. He even throws in a little Joe Jackson to compromise the character even further. The fact that he is called "Roy" is an obvious allusion to Sir Thomas Malory's 15th century opus "Le Morte D'Arthur." (Recall that "roi" is French for "king.") Why Malamud chose this story as a model is a mystery, since although he goes to great lengths to reinforce the Aurthurian connection (the baseball team is called the "Knights", the bat, "Wonderboy" is obviously "Excalibur"), he creates little of the Arthurian heroism in Roy Hobbes, or, for that matter, the sport of baseball as an allegory for the jousting of Chivalric heroes.
The character of The Whammer, played in the movie beautifully, if all too briefly, by Joe Don Baker, is more Ruth than Ruth, but he's gone in a flash, leaving yet another heroic void in the original story. And the women in The Natural are shallow, conniving and cheap and I have never been able to understand Malamud's literary allusions with regard to Morgan LeFave and Guinnevere, the women in Arthur's life. The Bad Guys in the book are ALL Bad, everyone else is mostly neutral, and there isn't any real good, or anything uplifting or affirming or positive in the whole thing.
Thank god for the movie. Barry Levinson's direction is gilded and glowing, and the whole film has a luminous aura that seems magical and enchanted and, compared to the wooden novel from which it came, a satisfying recast of the Arthurian legend. The screenplay was done by Roger Towne, who recently gave us The Recruit, and the changes he made to the story make all the difference in the world; less literary, perhaps, but more beautiful and elegant and not nearly so cynical and pessimistic. Compared to the Levinson/Johnson magic, the novel is almost amateurish, and recalls Ayn Rand's facile characters and stories, didactic and pedantic, and almost completely obscuring the Arthurian magic that Levinson coaxes from the story.
Once, when I had the chance to mention personally to Mark Johnson how beautiful The Natural was, he responded with a sincere modesty that fit the innocent tone of the movie, and he even gave me a keepsake from the film that I have to this day as a reminder of just how amazing an achievement this movie was, coming from so flawed a novel.
This was the first movie in which I loved Redford. He was older and deeper as an actor, and this was the beginning of his real golden age. Glenn Close was delightfully virginal and beautiful as a character almost completely created by the screenwriter, not the novelist. Kim Basinger is gorgeous and dangerous as the femme fatal, a portrayal that she would echo in her Oscar winning turn in L.A. Confidential.
Randy Newman's brilliant score was recycled a dozen times in subsequent movies, but none captured the beauty and nostalgia of The Natural. There are only a handful of movies so magnificently driven by their score, and The Natural remains Newman's best and most satisfying work.
In short, this is the best baseball movie ever. Whereas Malamud wanted to show baseball as jaundiced and commercial, Towne's screenplay shows us the baseball we loved as kids, and more. Malamud's dark and wholly unsatisfying ending is also rewritten, and if you find the final scene a little sweet, ask yourself if you really wanted to see the dismal finale that Malamud supplied.
Superb Film
jmorrison-224 June 2005
One of my all time favorites. Everything about this movie appears authentic. From the time period, to the baseball scenes. These guys really look like a baseball team.
Redford is low-key and stoic, but he hits just the right note for the character. Everybody else, especially Robert Duvall and Wilford Brimley, are fantastic.
A touching story, without being hokey. You get the feeling you are watching something mystical and magical along with all the characters in the movie, and it is played with just the right note.
Thrilling and inspiring. A well-made, well-acted film.
Redford is low-key and stoic, but he hits just the right note for the character. Everybody else, especially Robert Duvall and Wilford Brimley, are fantastic.
A touching story, without being hokey. You get the feeling you are watching something mystical and magical along with all the characters in the movie, and it is played with just the right note.
Thrilling and inspiring. A well-made, well-acted film.
A delightful fable pulled off believably and
MiriamEB6 July 2000
I really enjoyed watching this movie. It seems like the very embodiment of the Hollywood cliche - a noble hero overcoming difficulty to achieve his dream...but somehow, The Natural manages to pull it off in a very un-glamorized way. Take the hero - he's 35 years old! It just seems refreshing not to always have a dashing young fellow of twenty as the main character. And then - an ulcerated stomach? What kind of an obstacle is that? Not a Hollywood one, I'll tell you that. This hero is actually believable - and Robert Redford plays him handsomely. He makes Roy Hobbs a real person, and a gentleman. I recommend The Natural for any Robert Redford fan, baseball fan - and anyone who just wants to see a neat, entertaining movie with a main character you can really root for.
Wonderboy
Prismark1018 June 2016
After winning a Best Director Oscar in 1981. Robert Redford semi retired from acting. Setting up The Sundance Institute and raising funds for his personal directing projects left him with little appetite for acting work.
The Natural is an almost Arthurian story based on Bernard Malamud's book was Redford's return to acting for the first time in four years.
Set in the 1920s Redford plays Roy Hobbs a naturally gifted baseball player who fashioned his bat from a tree that was struck by lightning on the night his father died. The bat is his Excalibur.
On his way to Chicago for tryouts he is gunned down by a black widow like maniac who is killing the best in every sport. Sixteen years later Hobbs emerges as a rookie for the New York Knights a team that is going nowhere and whose shady owner wants the team to fail.
Once Hobbs get the chance to play he becomes a natural hitter leading his team on a winning streak. His success brings hazards and again there is another woman out to derail him, bring him down and therefore the team.
The Natural is a period drama beautifully photographed by Caleb Deschanel. It moves at a languid place accompanied by a memorable score from Randy Newman. The music and some of the baseball imagery has been much imitated since.
It is a lyrical film about second chances, love and redemption. It is also about good and evil. The women represented by Barbara Hershey and Kim Basinger are evil city women wanting Hobbs downfall.
Glenn Close who plays his old flame back at the farm is draped in white and is almost angelic giving Hobbs a lift whenever she turn up at the stadium.
The film bristles with a great supporting cast. Joe Don Baker as The Whammer who is humiliated by the younger Hobbs. Robert Duvall who has never played ball but is on the lookout for a great story and believes he can make or break a player to protect the sport such is his cynicism.
Darren McGavin is a shadowy gambler who is in league with Robert Prosky's Judge who wants the team to fail so he can get sole ownership from the coach played Wilfred Brimley. These are arrogant and corrupted men.
Brimley and Richard Farnsworth are the pure heart of the sport, uncorrupted men who love the game.
I first watched this film over 30 years ago and found it enchanting, a thoughtful film for all the family.
This was director's Barry Levinson's introduction to the major league. A chance to work with a big star and bigger budget. I think Levinson feels a bit lost away from his personal Baltimore set films and this could be the reason why some find the film cheesy and the portrayal of women shallow.
I think the decision to shoot Redford and Close as teenagers in dim light is a risky move that they just about get away with. However when we see the older Hobbs we see Redford in his element. Like Hobbs in the intervening sixteen years, Redford keeps him mysterious, somehow distant which is typical of the actor who eschewed the method acting of displaying histrionics on screen. You leave that to others and just bounce of them.
The Natural is an almost Arthurian story based on Bernard Malamud's book was Redford's return to acting for the first time in four years.
Set in the 1920s Redford plays Roy Hobbs a naturally gifted baseball player who fashioned his bat from a tree that was struck by lightning on the night his father died. The bat is his Excalibur.
On his way to Chicago for tryouts he is gunned down by a black widow like maniac who is killing the best in every sport. Sixteen years later Hobbs emerges as a rookie for the New York Knights a team that is going nowhere and whose shady owner wants the team to fail.
Once Hobbs get the chance to play he becomes a natural hitter leading his team on a winning streak. His success brings hazards and again there is another woman out to derail him, bring him down and therefore the team.
The Natural is a period drama beautifully photographed by Caleb Deschanel. It moves at a languid place accompanied by a memorable score from Randy Newman. The music and some of the baseball imagery has been much imitated since.
It is a lyrical film about second chances, love and redemption. It is also about good and evil. The women represented by Barbara Hershey and Kim Basinger are evil city women wanting Hobbs downfall.
Glenn Close who plays his old flame back at the farm is draped in white and is almost angelic giving Hobbs a lift whenever she turn up at the stadium.
The film bristles with a great supporting cast. Joe Don Baker as The Whammer who is humiliated by the younger Hobbs. Robert Duvall who has never played ball but is on the lookout for a great story and believes he can make or break a player to protect the sport such is his cynicism.
Darren McGavin is a shadowy gambler who is in league with Robert Prosky's Judge who wants the team to fail so he can get sole ownership from the coach played Wilfred Brimley. These are arrogant and corrupted men.
Brimley and Richard Farnsworth are the pure heart of the sport, uncorrupted men who love the game.
I first watched this film over 30 years ago and found it enchanting, a thoughtful film for all the family.
This was director's Barry Levinson's introduction to the major league. A chance to work with a big star and bigger budget. I think Levinson feels a bit lost away from his personal Baltimore set films and this could be the reason why some find the film cheesy and the portrayal of women shallow.
I think the decision to shoot Redford and Close as teenagers in dim light is a risky move that they just about get away with. However when we see the older Hobbs we see Redford in his element. Like Hobbs in the intervening sixteen years, Redford keeps him mysterious, somehow distant which is typical of the actor who eschewed the method acting of displaying histrionics on screen. You leave that to others and just bounce of them.
Best Baseball Film Ever
mike-vaudin18 February 2020
Despite being an Englishman I played Fast Pitch Softball against USA Service teams over many years so understand Baseball. This is a sports movie constructed in a marvelously entertaining manner fulfilling my boyhood dreams. Redford might be old for the role but I found him both believable and committed to giving enjoyment. Great cast, lovely music, super performances, brilliant fairytale story and a real feel good experience.
A Near-Perfect Film
vincentlynch-moonoi9 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Funny thing is, I'm not a sports fan, but I often like movies about baseball. I can't really explain it. But I think that this baseball movie is as good as it gets in the field of sports-story films. This is, in my view, a near-perfect film. Not in the class of spectacular films (such as "GWTW", "Dr. Zhivago", or "Ben-Hur"), but probably in the class with "Casablanca".
The one criticism I have of this film is that about two-thirds of the way into the film it does drag a bit for a while. But it was necessary because the director had to let the story catch up with itself, because although the story is about baseball, it is even more about a man and destiny, and how destiny is sometimes denied.
Robert Redford was at his peak at this point, and although he made quite a few films after this, this was his last truly great performance, in my view. But still, overall, Redford should be right up there in the top ten of American film-making.
It seems to me that Glenn Close didn't live up to her early performance, but I enjoyed her in this film. Darren McGavin has long been a favorite character actor of mine, both in film and on television. He's excellent here. Kim Basinger, not one of my favorites, is good. Wilford Brimley (they should have shaved his chest!) was excellent as the baseball manager, as was Richard Farnsworth as part of the management team.
The script -- a masterpiece -- with a little evil, a little magic, depression, inspiration, and all the touches that put you right in the era.
This was a class act, so to speak. Perfection near everywhere in the production. Very highly recommended.
The one criticism I have of this film is that about two-thirds of the way into the film it does drag a bit for a while. But it was necessary because the director had to let the story catch up with itself, because although the story is about baseball, it is even more about a man and destiny, and how destiny is sometimes denied.
Robert Redford was at his peak at this point, and although he made quite a few films after this, this was his last truly great performance, in my view. But still, overall, Redford should be right up there in the top ten of American film-making.
It seems to me that Glenn Close didn't live up to her early performance, but I enjoyed her in this film. Darren McGavin has long been a favorite character actor of mine, both in film and on television. He's excellent here. Kim Basinger, not one of my favorites, is good. Wilford Brimley (they should have shaved his chest!) was excellent as the baseball manager, as was Richard Farnsworth as part of the management team.
The script -- a masterpiece -- with a little evil, a little magic, depression, inspiration, and all the touches that put you right in the era.
This was a class act, so to speak. Perfection near everywhere in the production. Very highly recommended.
This is a movie for all time...
bheadher9 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This is not only a baseball movie, but also an in depth look at the human spirit...sorry to get all flowery, but the story reaches rather deeply into your soul.
As a young man, Roy Hobbs is recruited as a baseball player, but while on his way to the team he makes the mistake of hooking up with a mysterious temptress who shoots him in a hotel...
Years later, Roy gets another chance and is contracted to a B team, managed by Wilford Brimley, a crusty old guy who, at first, has little faith that this nobody can save his failing team...
Through some carefully written dialog, and superb acting, the story takes the "Knights" up to the pennant game...what happens in the closing minutes is spectacular, and reminds us all of the power that faith in oneself can bring...
I love this movie, and really wish it had done better in the box office...
As a young man, Roy Hobbs is recruited as a baseball player, but while on his way to the team he makes the mistake of hooking up with a mysterious temptress who shoots him in a hotel...
Years later, Roy gets another chance and is contracted to a B team, managed by Wilford Brimley, a crusty old guy who, at first, has little faith that this nobody can save his failing team...
Through some carefully written dialog, and superb acting, the story takes the "Knights" up to the pennant game...what happens in the closing minutes is spectacular, and reminds us all of the power that faith in oneself can bring...
I love this movie, and really wish it had done better in the box office...
Wonder and Magic in Baseball.
blazesnakes95 August 2011
Baseball is a sport in which it is everyone's favorite sport. But in The Natural, baseball will never be the same. The Natural is a wonderful and great movie that fills the screen with extreme joy and magic. The movie takes place in 1939 where a youngster named Roy Hobbs, played by Robert Redford, makes his way through the major league baseball team. But hold on a minute, that is just the story. The Natural begins with the young Roy as a boy playing ball with his father. But after a while, his father passes away and one night, a thunderstorm's lighting bolt split a tree in half. The young Roy then make the wood from the tree into a baseball. He also etches a name of his bat. "Wonderboy" is what he called the bat. Soon enough, the bat gives the magic touches to Roy. One day, while playing a baseball game, he hits the baseball and the ball goes flying flying into a glass clock, shattering it into pieces. Another time, he hits another baseball and that baseball and the inside of the ball came out. Knowing that he is the best, Roy faces problems in his life including a manager called The Judge, played by Robert Prosky. His job is to bring Hobbs down. Roy doesn't stand a chance to the Judge's actions, knowing that Roy is just the person he is. An baseball hero. The Natural have great performances by Redford, Glenn Close and Wilford Brimely. The Natural is one of the best films of 1984. ★★★★ 4 stars.
A fine film indeed
ajkbiotech19 April 2021
A couple of notes here;
1) it's about all white 1930s/1940s baseball;
2) it takes a cynical view of owners, gamblers and organized baseball in this time period;
3) it suggests that Redford's first go-round might have been short-circuited by design as well.
Having said all that, and wish as I might that they would do a film about Josh Gibson or Oscar Charleston, who were real, Roy Hobbs is very Entertaining in this film, and he is moral, ethical and principled in his quest to win the pennant for the NY Knights, who really are the NY Giants.
A great film that I've rewatched many, many times.
1) it's about all white 1930s/1940s baseball;
2) it takes a cynical view of owners, gamblers and organized baseball in this time period;
3) it suggests that Redford's first go-round might have been short-circuited by design as well.
Having said all that, and wish as I might that they would do a film about Josh Gibson or Oscar Charleston, who were real, Roy Hobbs is very Entertaining in this film, and he is moral, ethical and principled in his quest to win the pennant for the NY Knights, who really are the NY Giants.
A great film that I've rewatched many, many times.
It's as good as you've heard
Med-Jasta23 May 2020
I have never seen this movie until now. I knew the ending of course and have heard nothing but great things. I wasn't disappointed and my expectations were surpassed. I thought this was going to be a sports movie but it was so much more. I also thought it was a true story as well. Of course during the movie I figured that the truth had to be embellished to make it a better story. Turns out it was just inspired by a few true stories. Nothing wrong with it even saying it's a true story either, either way it's a movie.
Great movie, great story, great cast, great direction, great music, everything is on top. I find that sports movies are the most suspenseful because they could lose the game. You know Batman isn't going to die and that thousands of people aren't going to die, but you could lose the game.
I have to say that this cast is incredible. Not only are all these actors good but also it's full of many of my personal favorites: Robert Duvall, Robert Prosky, Richard Farnsworth, Michael Madsen and Darren McGavin. I was glad to see this much talent filling every role. Barry Levinson really has an eye for talent.
He's a really good director that I feel like isn't regarded in the A list. Maybe he is but he's eluded my list for some reason. One day I looked at all the movies he did and was surprised at the quality and quantity of them. So many scenes play out in wide shots to let the actors go for it and let their timing play out. The use of shadows is very cool as well. It made it feel realistic. Also I'm not a fan of slow motion but for whatever reason it was used to great effect here. I loved every second of it and thought it really added dramatic effect.
Of course Robert Redford is outstanding, everybody knows that, but it's still worth staying. That hair... I love that hair. And he's so good looking it's unbelievable. I'm a straight man and Redford takes my breath away. His acting is so confident, experienced and natural. He is the natural, haha. He's subtle and doesn't do a lot to convey what he's feeling. That's hard for actors to do.
Great story about doing what's right. Going for your dreams even if you're too old. Not giving into corruption and ignoring money for what's right.
Great movie, great story, great cast, great direction, great music, everything is on top. I find that sports movies are the most suspenseful because they could lose the game. You know Batman isn't going to die and that thousands of people aren't going to die, but you could lose the game.
I have to say that this cast is incredible. Not only are all these actors good but also it's full of many of my personal favorites: Robert Duvall, Robert Prosky, Richard Farnsworth, Michael Madsen and Darren McGavin. I was glad to see this much talent filling every role. Barry Levinson really has an eye for talent.
He's a really good director that I feel like isn't regarded in the A list. Maybe he is but he's eluded my list for some reason. One day I looked at all the movies he did and was surprised at the quality and quantity of them. So many scenes play out in wide shots to let the actors go for it and let their timing play out. The use of shadows is very cool as well. It made it feel realistic. Also I'm not a fan of slow motion but for whatever reason it was used to great effect here. I loved every second of it and thought it really added dramatic effect.
Of course Robert Redford is outstanding, everybody knows that, but it's still worth staying. That hair... I love that hair. And he's so good looking it's unbelievable. I'm a straight man and Redford takes my breath away. His acting is so confident, experienced and natural. He is the natural, haha. He's subtle and doesn't do a lot to convey what he's feeling. That's hard for actors to do.
Great story about doing what's right. Going for your dreams even if you're too old. Not giving into corruption and ignoring money for what's right.
For Father and Son
pricerc25 April 2004
My son and I have watched this movie twice together. I can't think of any other movie we have watched twice--together. I'm 60 and my son is 26. There is the element of magic, of fairy-tale, of other-worldliness; there is the element of the naturalness, the character of Robert Redford; there is the element of baseball, the great sport-love of millions of boys in North America--and me back in the 1950s when I was growing up and dreamed of going to the majors; there's a touch of the sexual with Kim Basinger and Barbara Hershey----one could go on listing the pluses that this movie brings to the viewers. But I think what makes the movie in the end is the magic of Roy Hobbs as he hits a baseball further and harder than anyone ever has or(probably) ever will. Hobbs is the quintessence of the baseball hero and for sports lovers that's their religion. Hobbs is like Jesus come down to earth in the form of a baseball player, yet with sins of omission and commission. So, he's human and a superhero all at once.
VIEWS ON FILM review of The Natural
burlesonjesse58 June 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The Natural is one of my favorite sports movies of all time not to mention one of the most uplifting films you'll ever see in general. After a quiet sort of mute opening credits sequence, it becomes a poignant, heavenly joy with Randy Newman's hair-raising score pouncing in at all the right moments. As aging baseball legend Roy Hobbs, Robert Redford seems a bit miscast at first, but the movie manages to make you forget about it by surrounding him with a strong assembly of renowned actors (especially Robert Duvall as driven-by-the-truth sports writer Max Mercy and Oscar nominee Glenn Close as a woman from Roy's past). The story takes Redford's character and portrays him as a sort of glorified, baseball messiah (he was out of the game for 16 years because of a gun shot wound) who played outfielder for the New York Knights (for one MLB season mind you). There is a mythical sort of fantasy element present here in which Hobbs has the ability to both pitch and hit like an all- star (unprecedented in today's modern game). Also, the fact that he kinda came out of nowhere and carried a checkered past, draws the viewer in with every well lit scene.
Director Barry Levinson effectively displays a knack for sentimental heroics and although The Natural tries to manipulate the viewer into thinking it's Citizen Kane (considered by many as the greatest film ever made), it still manages to give you goosebumps (the home run sequences are a little outlandish but go with what I'm saying) and does what the Jackie Robinson biopic 42 tried, but might have failed to do.
As a great family film and essential viewing for any sports fan, The Natural will make you stand up and cheer, even if you're the only person in the room.
Director Barry Levinson effectively displays a knack for sentimental heroics and although The Natural tries to manipulate the viewer into thinking it's Citizen Kane (considered by many as the greatest film ever made), it still manages to give you goosebumps (the home run sequences are a little outlandish but go with what I'm saying) and does what the Jackie Robinson biopic 42 tried, but might have failed to do.
As a great family film and essential viewing for any sports fan, The Natural will make you stand up and cheer, even if you're the only person in the room.
Naturally Inspiring
majikcecil7 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Fantasy movies are the best. They stretch our minds and our imaginations. They remind us of possibilities. It's best to watch Field Of Dreams, take note of James Earl Jones' character, Terence Mann's closing quote, then watch this beauty, "People will come Ray. The one constant thru all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.".
I seldom look for credibility in these types of movies. I want hope. If you don't walk away from The Natural with hope, then you just don't get it.
I seldom look for credibility in these types of movies. I want hope. If you don't walk away from The Natural with hope, then you just don't get it.
Might just be the best-looking "baseball" movie out there
Mr-Fusion21 April 2017
I've been on kind of a baseball kick lately, and obviously, "The Natural" is going to come up. And it's a good movie, boasting some veteran talent both behind and in front of the camera. The funny thing is that it's not really about baseball, same as boxing is just a storytelling vehicle for "Raging Bull" and "Million Dollar Baby". This is really an allegory of good and evil, of honorable men and the forces that would smother them; the symbolism's painted all over the walls in this place.
When I read Malamud's book a few years ago, I was blown away by the ending, one that really underlines the novel's bitterness; and that finish has no place in this film. Even still, while you know who to root for and who to despise, there are still aspects that really need to be fleshed out; Robert Duvall's character, in particular.
But I'm not out to poke holes. This movie is memorable not just for the acting or Randy Newman's main theme, but for its fondness for the period. You watch this for the sun-kissed cinematography and those crucial moments when fate (t last) steps in to level the playing field.
Pacing issues aside, it's a movie everyone needs to see at least once.
7/10
When I read Malamud's book a few years ago, I was blown away by the ending, one that really underlines the novel's bitterness; and that finish has no place in this film. Even still, while you know who to root for and who to despise, there are still aspects that really need to be fleshed out; Robert Duvall's character, in particular.
But I'm not out to poke holes. This movie is memorable not just for the acting or Randy Newman's main theme, but for its fondness for the period. You watch this for the sun-kissed cinematography and those crucial moments when fate (t last) steps in to level the playing field.
Pacing issues aside, it's a movie everyone needs to see at least once.
7/10
"I know better."
movibuf196229 August 2006
This is another one that I recently re-watched on cable. I must upgrade my collection to include the DVD. Of course, there are reviews which will attack its sentimentality; get over it!! It amazes me that so many film goers can't view a movie with a positive and sophisticated charm without rolling their eyes or sticking their finger down their throat. (As if we don't have enough coarse, angry, 'edgy' films in release already.) I don't mind Redford's Joe Hardy-like ability one bit, because success- for all of his skill and talent- still doesn't come to him easily. He must suffer a physical tragedy, be elusive with his greedy contemporaries, and finally deal with the past, which he spends the entire movie trying to hide. The one nitpick I have with the whole film was the painfully obvious soft-focus photography used to disguise Redford's age. It isn't so bad in the first reel when he's supposed to be a teenager (and the camera shoots him in silhouette and at length), but later, when he's supposed to be between 36 and, say 40, he just *isn't*. Glenn Close is radiant as his love from childhood, and shines in a memorable scene when they are first reunited at one of his games. After he goes into a foreshadowed slump, it is the arrival of Close (angelically back lit, and whose presence he senses even before seeing her) that brings him back to winning. Singularly gorgeous.
Should be even better than a "10"
caa8219 February 2007
I recently saw this film - I never tire of seeing it again - with a friend who visited me for a weekend. He and I had played baseball together in college, and he's as big a baseball fan as I am. But for some inexplicable reason, he'd never seen this film, so we watched my DVD on a Saturday afternoon.
First, it's far and away the best baseball flick, ever - not because "Pride of the Yankees," "The Rookie," "Bull Durham," or "For Love of the Game" weren't excellent - but because it is such a terrific story, and because Robert Redford gives a sensational performance, and can really look like a talented pro in swinging a bat and throwing/fielding a baseball. (Incidentally, of the above movies, the last Costner film didn't gain the popularity of praise of the others, but I still found it excellent, and like Redford, Kevin can handle a bat and ball.)
Since I'd watched the film just shortly before this visit, I looked for any details I might have missed before, instead of getting totally absorbed by the story.
I noticed that despite his being presented as a multi-million-dollar bookie/gambler, wagering six figured amounts (in the depression 1930's, yet!) Darrin McGavin's "Gus." never drew the right bead on Roy Hobbs, and seemed to have a stupidly naive perspective with regard to his prodigious talent, and losing betting against Roy throughout.
Also, Robert Duvall's "Max," the syndicated columnist, presents himself as a tower of virtue to preserve the integrity of the game, yet is friendly with Gus, who is involved in bribes to players to throw games to aid his confederate (Robert Prosky) and presumably also to clean-up in the betting arena. Even though Duvall's character obviously is ambitious to break the big, inside story, and is self-promoting, it seems his character would have been a bit fairer and more discreet.
These two are still great actors, and their characters strong and interesting, despite any such inconsistencies.
And the baseball scenes are terrific, in and of themselves, and provide a completely authentic representation of baseball five decades earlier than when filmed, and seven decades ago now.
Some purists have criticized the ethereal, surreal aspects in the film as detracting from the baseball games portrayed. I disagree, and feel that these added immensely (even necessarily) to the "story," without in anyway detracting from the outstanding "on the field" parts of the movie.
Like Dennis Quaid in "The Rookie," Redford was in his late forties at filming, portraying a character about a decade younger. Like Quaid, no problem for him; and had the character been even a few years more junior to him, he'd have been just as believable.
This film, along with "North Dallas Forty" and "One-on-One"/"Hoosiers" (a tie) comprise the far best films about our big-three sports. While there have been many excellent films about baseball, football and basketball, these are the absolute finest.
First, it's far and away the best baseball flick, ever - not because "Pride of the Yankees," "The Rookie," "Bull Durham," or "For Love of the Game" weren't excellent - but because it is such a terrific story, and because Robert Redford gives a sensational performance, and can really look like a talented pro in swinging a bat and throwing/fielding a baseball. (Incidentally, of the above movies, the last Costner film didn't gain the popularity of praise of the others, but I still found it excellent, and like Redford, Kevin can handle a bat and ball.)
Since I'd watched the film just shortly before this visit, I looked for any details I might have missed before, instead of getting totally absorbed by the story.
I noticed that despite his being presented as a multi-million-dollar bookie/gambler, wagering six figured amounts (in the depression 1930's, yet!) Darrin McGavin's "Gus." never drew the right bead on Roy Hobbs, and seemed to have a stupidly naive perspective with regard to his prodigious talent, and losing betting against Roy throughout.
Also, Robert Duvall's "Max," the syndicated columnist, presents himself as a tower of virtue to preserve the integrity of the game, yet is friendly with Gus, who is involved in bribes to players to throw games to aid his confederate (Robert Prosky) and presumably also to clean-up in the betting arena. Even though Duvall's character obviously is ambitious to break the big, inside story, and is self-promoting, it seems his character would have been a bit fairer and more discreet.
These two are still great actors, and their characters strong and interesting, despite any such inconsistencies.
And the baseball scenes are terrific, in and of themselves, and provide a completely authentic representation of baseball five decades earlier than when filmed, and seven decades ago now.
Some purists have criticized the ethereal, surreal aspects in the film as detracting from the baseball games portrayed. I disagree, and feel that these added immensely (even necessarily) to the "story," without in anyway detracting from the outstanding "on the field" parts of the movie.
Like Dennis Quaid in "The Rookie," Redford was in his late forties at filming, portraying a character about a decade younger. Like Quaid, no problem for him; and had the character been even a few years more junior to him, he'd have been just as believable.
This film, along with "North Dallas Forty" and "One-on-One"/"Hoosiers" (a tie) comprise the far best films about our big-three sports. While there have been many excellent films about baseball, football and basketball, these are the absolute finest.
Score One for Robert Redford
wes-connors30 July 2013
Incredibly natural baseball player Robert Redford (as Roy Hobbs) grows up to be a 1920s teenager on the verge of playing in the big leagues. Then, he is derailed
Sixteen years later, Mr. Redford attempts to re-enter his field of dreams. As a middle-aged rookie, Redford is immediately benched - but, you should never write Redford off
"The Natural" is an excellent fantasy - one you can believe within the confines of its running time. As both a baseball player and a movie star, Redford rises to the occasion. For the film, he gets extraordinary production values - skillfully led by director Barry Levinson and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel. For the character, Redford gets magical powers from a lightning strike - courtesy of writer Bernard Malamud and mythology.
******* The Natural (5/11/84) Barry Levinson ~ Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger
******* The Natural (5/11/84) Barry Levinson ~ Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger
Baseball Americana/American Studies at it's best!
a_chinn20 August 2017
Wonderful bit of Americana told through that most American of sports, baseball. Director Barry Levinson fashions a mythic tale about an over-the-hill 1920s baseball player, Roy Hobbs, finally getting his shot at the big leagues with the fictional New York Knights. Robert Redford plays Hobbs, himself in many ways a stereotypical All- American boy. Hobbs seemingly comes out of nowhere and no one knows where this talented player came from or why it took him so long to appear in the majors. Hobbs quickly gains fame an attention, and while on his journey faces many challenges; tempted by seductresses, facing down dark corrupting forces, and the lure of money and fame. As with most American myths and tropes, they have their roots in other cultures. The mythology presented in "The Natural" seems heavily influenced by Greek Mythology, with Hobbs as a Homer-like hero on a journey to find home. Kim Basinger and Barbara Hershey plays a sirens. Darren McGavin and Robert Duvall plays dark, corrupting underworld god-like figures manipulating events. Glenn Close represents the home that Hobbs is seeking. Other actors of note in the film include Wilford Brimley as the team manager and Richard Farnsworth as an assistant coach. There's also strong supporting performances from Robert Prosky, Michael Madsen, Mike Starr, and Joe Don Baker in a small role that's a thinly veiled analogue for Babe Ruth. Randy Newman also deserve note for his beautiful score, as does director of photography Caleb Deschane. When a baseball smashes the ballpark lights in an explosion of sparks and rousing music are unforgettable and gorgeous. Barry Levinson has made some brilliant, including "Diner," "Avalon," and TV series like "OZ" and "Homicide: Life on the Street," but I think this film may be my favorite of all of his fine work.
A Film for the Ages
soapfish22 May 2003
I can't ever forget the first time(s) I saw The Natural. I was a member of the Directors Guild of America and there was a screening at the DGA. I love screenings of films about which I know nothing! And at the time I hadn't read the novel, really didn't know anything about it. I knew Barry Levinson and liked his work, and Randy Newman was, of course, a god. I just wasn't ready for it! Tears were streaming down my face from the beginning. The music would play and the waterworks would commence! It felt organic, not intellectual. It just "was". The only other film where I had that experience was, you guessed it, "Field of Dreams", another screening. When he asked his Dad if they could play a little catch, I lost it. The people I was with got up and slowly moved to other seats. But back to the Natch. I love it when a film subsumes reality, and every time I hear the theme at a "real" ball game, I smile. From time to time I'll put on the DVD to watch a scene, and I invariably end up watching the whole thing! If you haven't seen this film, you simply must!
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