ManiakJiggy This is How Movies Should Be Made
ScoobyMint Disappointment for a huge fan!
GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.
Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
Mr-Fusion 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
cmcastl Of course I love the scene at the end where Robert Redford's fated Roy Hobbs wins the all-important pennant game by smashing the baseball into the floodlights. It is one of the great scenes of American sporting cinema.But my favourite scene is previously when Glenn Close as his genuine love interest, as opposed to the evil character of a modern Morgan la Fay, so well-played by Kim Basinger, stands up in Wrigley Field magically willing him to break his poor batting run. Her character tranfuses strength into him, giving that scene an Arthurian, chivalric resonance. But then so has the whole film that glorious mythic quality. I am also thinking of Field of Dreams, here. What is it about baseball which so lends itself to films of mythic power?In this film some elements of its success can be readily identified: Barry Levinson's direction, the star power of the actors and, of critical importance, the power of Randy Newman's score. But then it also has a magic over all that, unanticipated by its makers.
mark.waltz In the most famous scene from this modern baseball classic, struggling middle aged professional baseball player Robert Redford strikes gold after a spell of strike outs. It's thanks to the presence of a majestic lady in white (Glenn Close) who stands up to guide him to his big hit. Redford, as comeback king Roy Hobbs is a mystery man who all who knows him, and even though they haven't seen each other in years, it is Close who knows him best. Wouldn't you be a bit of a mystery man if all of a sudden, you were shot for some unknown reason by a mysterious dark haired vixen who claimed that they were fascinated by your talents? Barbara Hershey is briefly seen as this mysterious femme fatale, and after that, it is surprising that he could ever trust a woman again. Along the way he meets another vixen, Kim Basinger, who distracts him into loosing, and the question becomes, "Why?"Not just a film for baseball fans, this is a look at every young boy's American dream. Whether it be baseball player, fireman or even president of the United States, it is a look at how good intentions come out of the Innocence of childhood, and how dishonest people can step in the way of one's dreams. Certainly one of the great modern baseball classics, it is even better then the mystical "Field of Dreams" which had little to do with professional baseball other than solving an issue for the film's hero, Kevin Costner. If Costner was the All- American hero of the 1990's, Robert Redford dominated much of the sixties, seventies and eighties with his easygoing personality, way with the ladies and his determination to make films that were artistic as well as entertaining.The cast is excellent, although I've never been quite convinced that Kim Basinger was one of the great beauties of the last 30 years in films. Glenn Close, on the other hand, had a realistic beauty that shines in the scene where she stands up in the Chicago baseball stadium. Some movie fans ridicule her as being somewhat haggard, but I've never looked at her that way. If you don't find the fact that she is indeed beautiful, watch this film and think again. I would rather have the girl next door that look like Glenn Close rather than a buxom vixen like Basinger who uses sex to sell.As Redford's mentors on the baseball team, the fictional New York Knights, Wilford Brimley and Richard Farnsworth are particularly outstanding. Brimley is that grouchy old grandfather we all know and love, knowing that underneath that gruffness is a huge heart of gold. Farnsworth is more quiet, and the wisdom that he silently conveyed to the complaining Brimley is something that you can take to heart. Less honorable are the characters played by Robert Duvall and Robert Brodsky, the later cast as an amoral judge who instantly wants to see Redford suppressed as a baseball superstar.While not an obsessive baseball fan, I can still appreciate the fascination with the sport, having grown up with professional games going to the Pittsburgh Pirates when they were at Three Rivers Stadium. I as a child the way I felt being in the presence of the All American Heroes and when I saw the film in its original release, those memories came back to me along with the excited looks of the two youngsters who popped in and out, looking up to Redford as their own hero. This does take a realistic look at the rivalry between players on the same team, some jealous or envious of Redford, referring to him as that old man since they obviously don't have the power he has. I wish I had a baseball bat like wonder boy when I was a kid. Of all the professional sports, baseball remains the most all American, and it is films like this that celebrate that sport's greatest qualities.
Sam smith (sam_smithreview) The photography is what film schools could only dream of. The acting is brilliant...with dozens of all-time memorable lines!! The directing is so detailed and so perfect, it illustrates EXACTLY how athlete's from around the world, of all generations, dream their greatness would be realized and ed! It captures the very essence of sports and the extremely complex character that all great athletes possess. There are only 5 sports movies that have accomplished this: (the others are: Rocky, Hoosiers, & Chariots Of Fire & Raging Bull)! In all...Barry Levinson and Robert Redford created a MASTERPIECE. More that just baseball - a story of the difference between good and evil. The courage that lies within each of us and the opportunity to shine through in one brief moment. There is not a single character out of place -Performance-Wise: Robert Redford is fantastic in the lead role. The legendary actor delivers one of his best performances in here. Glenn Close is amazingly restrained. Kim Basinger is impressive. Bobby Duvall is dependable, as always. Robert Prosky is quite good. Others lend good .
