The Natural (1984) Movie Info
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | The Natural (1984) |
| Director | Barry Levinson |
| Screenplay Writer | Roger Towne, Phil Dusenberry |
| Based on Novel by | Bernard Malamud (The Natural) |
| Lead Actors | Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close |
| Cast | Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, Barbara Hershey, Richard Farnsworth |
| Genre | Drama, Sport |
| Release Date | May 11, 1984 (United States) |
| Duration | 2h 18m (138 minutes) |
| Budget | ~$28 million |
| Language | English |
| Country | United States |
| Box Office (Worldwide) | ~$47 million |
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Summary
Rising young pitcher Roy Hobbs is inexplicably shot by an obsessive female fan. Many years later, Hobbs appears out of nowhere and carries the New York Knights to glory with seemingly mythic hitting talent.
Review
A classic baseball movie set in 1939, The Natural is outstanding. Its inspiring story features a bumbling, last place team transformed into contenders by the sudden, mysterious arrival of Roy Hobbs (Redford). His pitching career effectively ruined by a shooting at the hands of a deranged woman many years ago, Hobbs is determined not to let his dreams die. The middle-aged outfielder possesses unfathomable hitting talent, and after winning over skeptical Manager Pop Fisher (Brimley), he quickly turns the New York Knights’ season around. With great in-game action and excellent performances from the team members particularly assistant coach Red (Farnsworth) what follows is a great ride for the Knights and viewers alike.
The many complexities of the storyline give The Natural an even greater appeal. It is a moral dilemma, a tale of shattered dreams and the struggle of a man to set things right in his own existence and in the lives of others. There is an almost mythological element to the film as Hobbs and Pop Fisher are pitted against evil forces such as reporter Max Mercy (Duvall), the conniving Memo Paris (Basinger) and the Knights backstabbing brass. While the story is a loose adaptation of Bernard Malamud’s novel, numerous events in the movie are taken from reality, including Hobbs shooting and his scoreboard-shattering homer. Hobbs himself is modeled after both Shoeless Joe Jackson, whose involvement in the Black Sox scandal resonates in the movie, and Ted Williams, whose simple desire to be known as the best hitter who ever lived is echoed by the Knights’ slugger.
It plays to some Hollywood stereotypes, contains some cheesy moments and goes on a bit too long. The overall quality of the picture remains fantastic, though, and if the conclusion of Hobbs’ last game doesn’t give you the chills, you should check yourself for a pulse.
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