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Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley ... see more see more... , Barbara Hershey , Robert Prosky , Richard Farnsworth , Joe Don Baker , John Finnegan , Alan Fudge , Paul Sullivan , Rachel Hall , Robert III Rich , Michael Madsen , Danny Aiello , Joe Castellano , Barry Kivel , Elizabeth Ann Klein , Bernie McInerney , Mike Starr , Ralph Tabakin , Jon Van Ness , Gayle Vance , Ed Walsh , Darren McGavin , Eddie Cipot , Joseph Strand , Martin Grey , Sam Green

The film version of The Natural pulls off the neat trick of conveying the spirit of the Bernard Malamud novel upon which it is based, even while changing both the outcome and the meaning of Malamud's ... read more read more...closing chapters. In his first film appearance in four years, Robert Redford plays Roy Hobbs, a farm boy with a hankering to be a great baseball player. With his faithful homemade bat "Wonderboy" in hand, Roy heads to the big city. En route, he arouses the fascination of the mysterious Harriet Bird (Barbara Hershey). Luring the boy to a hotel room, Harriet asks Roy what he wants out of life. Roy brashly responds he wants to be "the best there is," whereupon Harriet whips out a gun and shoots Roy down. Sixteen years later, a humbler Roy Hobbs emerges from the bush leagues to become a 35-year-old "rookie" on the 1939 lineup of the New York Knights. He soon becomes the team's star player, and in so doing once more attracts enigmatic woman Memo Paris (Kim Basinger), the glamorous niece of the Knights' manager Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley) and the mistress of Rothstein-like gambler Gus Sands (a curiously unbilled Darren McGavin). Roy's fascination with Memo compromises his ability to play, but this time he finds salvation in the form the angelic Iris Gaines (Glenn Close), his childhood sweetheart. From this point forward, the script for The Natural bears very little resemblance to the Malamud original. Without giving anything away, it can be said that Roy Hobbs is given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compensate for the mistakes of his youth, despite the demonic intrusion of inexplicably spiteful sports writer Max Mercy (Robert Duvall). The Natural elevates the art of slow-motion photography to new heights; while this technique would become precious and boring in later baseball films, it works beautifully here, as does the decision by director Barry Levinson and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel to convey the symbolism inherent in the story in purely visual rather than blatantly verbal terms. (If the characters told you that the story was a retelling of the Camelot legend in baseball terms, would you have watched?) Another plus is the pastoral theme music by Randy Newman, which has been well utilized on sports broadcasts and "human interest" TV documentaries ever since. The baseball scenes in The Natural were staged at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, New York. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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86% liked it

35,972 ratings

Critics

82% liked it

33 critics

PG, 2 hr. 12 min.

Directed by: Barry Levinson

Release Date: May 11, 1984

Keywords: baseball

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DVD Release Date: April 3, 2001

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Stats: 1,885 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,885)

  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    August 1, 2011
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    He lived for a dream that wouldn't die.

    Saw it again! Probably one of the best baseball movies ever made. Robert Redford nail his role as Roy Hobbs, amazing talent! Wicked story! Everything about this movie appears authentic. From the time period, to the baseball scenes. These g... read moreuys really look like a baseball team. 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. Loved the end, one of the best endings ever!

    An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to the top of the league in this magical sports fantasy. With the aid of a bat cut from a lightning struck tree, Hobbs lives the fame he should have had earlier when, as a rising pitcher, he is inexplicably shot by a young woman.
  • mjgildea
    June 30, 2011
    mjgildea
    I won't call The Natural a bad movie but that doesn't mean I'm going to say that it lives up to its almost mythic status as a truly great movie. Robert Redford is likable and despite some weird aspects of the story (Barbara Hershey and Kim Basinger's bad luck superpower in genera... read morel) you like him and you root for him. Despite the over 2 hour running time it feels like another 15 or 20 minutes could've smoothed some rough edges out. The mystery behind Roy Hobbs was kind of anticlimactic (I was ALMOST hoping he'd be a ghost or an angel or something.) The "bad guys" were either an unlikable shade of unlikable or just downright creepy (Darren McGavin and his glass eye.) Not great, not awful, but that final home run was pretty wild...
  • ythelastman89
    November 28, 2010
    ythelastman89
    I remembered this being a childhood favorite, but I hadn't seen it for a long time. It has even gotten better with age, being such a classic example of a true American Dream. Robert Redford really did a great job as Roy Hobbs, a character that has your heart from the moment he ap... read morepears onscreen. The story is extremely well told with a truly beautiful late thirties backdrop. You don't have to be a baseball fan or a sports fan period to love this movie and feel a sense of attachment to it, that's how strong it is.
  • flixsterman
    November 12, 2010
    flixsterman
    Quintessential sports movie with something for fans and non-fans alike. Hobbs rounding the bases in a shower of electrical sparks is iconic cinema at it's best.
  • bottcorecords1
    May 30, 2010
    bottcorecords1
    Norse mythology, Greek mythology and even stories from the bible all lend themselves well to baseball, a sport that has been steeped in myth since it's inception. Babe Ruth calling his shot, the mighty Casey striking out, the game of baseball has an aura of mystery about it. Th... read moree Natural seeks to capture that elusive mysterious quality in Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford), a natural born baseball player who, like Hercules or Thor, displays a near super-human skill that seems born of the gods. Every legend needs a legendary weapon like excaliber, and Hobbs is no exception: he has a bat crafted by his own hands from the remains of lightning split tree, a devastating thing which knocks balls through steel and concrete. Hobbs' first great feat of legend is striking out "The Whammer" (Joe Don Baker), a fictionalized version of Babe Ruth. Unfortunately, in so doing he attracts the attention of Harriet Bird (Barbara Hersey), a serial killer who's been shooting with silver bullets all the best athletes of each given sport. Sixteen years later, Hobbs returns, finally in the major leagues (although playing for a fictional team), and still with his special bat. Pops, the coach (Wilford Brimley) doesn't have any use for a 36 year old rookie, and keeps him benched until, one night at batting practice, he sees the power of Hobbs firsthand. With the help of Hobbs' bat, the team makes a run for the pennant. Of course, every sports film needs a bad guy, and in this case, it comes in the form of Gus Sands (Darren McGavin), a big time bookie who wants Hobbs to throw a couple of games on purpose and make him some money. With the help of a hot blonde temptress (Kim Basinger), he almost sidetracks Hobbs for good. It's not until his childhood sweetheart (Glenn Close) comes back into his life like a Guinevere to his Lancelot that he regains his composure and puts his team back on track. Though made in 1984, The Natural feels like a classic hollywood picture, it's pure fantasy, and although it fictionalizes baseball to Paul Bunyon-esque proportions, the end result is quite a loving homage to the game.
  • danperry17
    September 3, 2007
    danperry17
    Just an absolute classic, start to finish. Great performances from so many big names, again showing Levinson's ability to capture humanity on film. His characters are always so real, and even if his movies ever seem a bit cheesy or clichéd, it's impossible not to become emotional... read morely attached. This movie invented the "baseball in a wheat field" shot, and it's possibly the best sports movie ever made.
  • deano
    July 8, 2007
    deano
    The bestest of 1930's baseball history film about the rise and fall of a baseball star.
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 25, 2007
    sanjurosamurai
    great but over the top baseball flick
  • sainttom93
    January 14, 2007
    sainttom93
    The BEST baseball movie ever!
  • crossbladezero
    May 22, 2011
    crossbladezero
    Ladies and gentlemen, a true baseball epic. By epic I mean long. I could tell this was gonna be tough to sit through by the first 2 minutes, in which Rob Redford just sits around, waiting for a train. Yup, as expected, it got more dull and drawn-out and added forced scene changes... read more, heavy sentiment and a major cop-out ending to the flaws mix. Probably the biggest problem is that the storyline and just plain pitched and stitched together in a not-so-clean fashion, making it confusing. However, this hardly matters, as "The Natural" features an extremely compelling story, remarkable performances and other pros to make it a well-crafted and powerful sports film classic.

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Critic Reviews

Richard Schickel
March 21, 2011
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

Levinson must have felt he had to swing for the fences. He can be forgiven for choking up with all The Natural's fans looking on dubiously. In fairness, the official scorer must credit him with a sing... Full Review

March 21, 2007
Variety

The Natural is an impeccably made, but quite strange, fable about success and failure in America. Full Review

Dave Kehr
March 21, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

I've just about had it with directors who use the mythic mode as an alibi for unshaded characterizations, simpleminded plotting, and swells of artificial emotionality. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The message is: Baseball is purely and simply a matter of divine intervention. At about the 130-minute mark, I got the idea that God's only begotten son was playing right field for the New York team. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Though entertaining in short stretches, The Natural has no recognizable character of its own. Full Review

James Berardinelli
May 9, 2002
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Arguably the best baseball movie ever made. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
August 20, 2011
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Barry Levinson deviates considerably from the wry, ironic tone of Malamud's novel, and if the film is mildly enjoyable it's due to the acting of the supporting cast and polished production values. Full Review

March 25, 2011
Empire Magazine

An otherwise fine sports fantasy is dragged down by an overindulgence in sentimentality. Full Review

Bill Chambers
July 13, 2010
Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central

...silly, repetitive, episodic, mannered... Full Review

James Kendrick
April 14, 2010
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk

unabashedly sentimental and grand in its themes of goodness, honor, tenacity, and forgiveness Full Review

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The Natural Trivia

  • name the film from these clues Wonder Boy New York Knights Silver Bullet Homer  Answer »
  • in the saw movies, when someone dies there is a peice cut out of them in the shape of a jigsaw piece. what is this supposed to symbolize?  Answer »
  • Which of the following movies was NOT directed by Robert Redford?  Answer »
  • In which movie did a sculpture of a t-rex dinosaur become alive in the natural history museum?  Answer »
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