The Natural (B or 3/4 stars)
Golden boy Robert Redford stars as the fictional, middle-aged Roy Hobbs in Barry Levinson's 'The Natural, a 1984 mystical sports fable based on a novel that centers around a 1930s baseball hero who joins a losing team and takes it to the top of the league. The movie's early scenes depict events from Roy's youth; playing catch in the fields with his father; carving his own bat named 'Wonderboy' from the wood of a tree split by lightning; striking out a big-league player in 3 pitches, etc. Then, on his way to a tryout for the Chicago Cubs, Hobbs meets one, Harriet Bird (Barbara Hershey), a deranged woman who is on a mission to kill 'the best' in sport. Setting her sights on Hobbs, she lures him to her hotel room; then shoots him in the stomach.
Hobbs recovers, but vanishes into obscurity, only to emerge 16 yrs. later as a rookie for the 1939 NY Knights. When his manager, grumpy Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley), sees him, he exclaims, "You don't start playing ball at your age, you retire". After spending 1/2 the season on the bench, Hobbs gets a chance when the previous right fielder is tragically killed. To that, Hobbs turns out to be a homerun hitting machine & a sensation; with sports writer Max Mercy (Robert Duvall) wanting to know where the heck this guy has been. All the while, Knights' owner, the Judge (Robert Prosky), promises a long-term contract to Hobbs IF he makes sure that the Knights DON'T make the playoffs {Judge made an underhanded deal with Pop}. Hobbs won't agree to anything covert, which makes him the prey of wily manipulation by gambler, Gus Sands (Darren McGavin) & his girl, Memo Paris (Kim Basinger).
This classic works not because it is flawless in its depiction of baseball, but because it captures the spirit of the game at a time when baseball was the beloved National Pastime; baseball is almost romanticized, here. We see all that is great about baseball: the skilled players, the chess match btwn. managers, the poetry of a ball in flight, & the exhilaration of a big comeback. Levinson even exalts in Hobbs' 3 big legendary homers: the 1st one we see, the one which breaks his slump, & the amazing final at-bat. That last homer knocks out the lights with a firework-like display that collides with lightning. Fun story: My dad was a 'natural' at baseball and, his teammates on an adult softball league always referred to him as "Hobbs" -- brings a smile to my face. 'The Natural' is a celebration of game that has since turned into a playground of gambling, greed, corruption, mistrust & rapacious $$-grabbing.
Roy Hobbs may have never lived {a la Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, et al}, but he's real to us, and that's a testament to Redford's performance. Though middle-aged, Hobbs is the best player around, AND he also has character & principles - a rarity, these days. His innate charm, movie star looks, and even a propensity for having flaws serve him well, here. To that, I like that the filmmakers make Hobbs more heroic & less pathetic; which is what he is in the novel -- too grim for me to consider. Robert Prosky is corruption personified. I liked his faithful bench coach played by Richard Farnsworth. Barbara Hershey is haunting as the raven-clad black widow-like, Harriet. Glenn Close makes an impression as Iris, Hobbs' angelic childhood sweetheart who shows up to break his batting slump. And Kim Basinger is great as temptress Memo, whose murky motives take a back seat to her affection for Hobbs.
'The Natural' was nominated for 4 Academy Awards: Supporting Actress for Glenn Close; Caleb Deschanel's visually poetic cinematography; the period perfect Art Direction; and Randy Newman's heroic music score. The overriding theme of 'The Natural' is redemption. Roy Hobbs has something to prove & makes sure he achieves that with one swing of a bat -- there's nothing like that climactic moment of him rounding the bases amid a shower of sparks & light after having hit the homerun into the stadium lights to achieve his dream. And then the poignant last 'let's have a catch' moment in the field is a PERFECT close. Sure, the film has some simplistic plotting & heavily schmaltzy stretches, but quibble aide, the film has that cinematic magic about it.
Hobbs recovers, but vanishes into obscurity, only to emerge 16 yrs. later as a rookie for the 1939 NY Knights. When his manager, grumpy Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley), sees him, he exclaims, "You don't start playing ball at your age, you retire". After spending 1/2 the season on the bench, Hobbs gets a chance when the previous right fielder is tragically killed. To that, Hobbs turns out to be a homerun hitting machine & a sensation; with sports writer Max Mercy (Robert Duvall) wanting to know where the heck this guy has been. All the while, Knights' owner, the Judge (Robert Prosky), promises a long-term contract to Hobbs IF he makes sure that the Knights DON'T make the playoffs {Judge made an underhanded deal with Pop}. Hobbs won't agree to anything covert, which makes him the prey of wily manipulation by gambler, Gus Sands (Darren McGavin) & his girl, Memo Paris (Kim Basinger).
This classic works not because it is flawless in its depiction of baseball, but because it captures the spirit of the game at a time when baseball was the beloved National Pastime; baseball is almost romanticized, here. We see all that is great about baseball: the skilled players, the chess match btwn. managers, the poetry of a ball in flight, & the exhilaration of a big comeback. Levinson even exalts in Hobbs' 3 big legendary homers: the 1st one we see, the one which breaks his slump, & the amazing final at-bat. That last homer knocks out the lights with a firework-like display that collides with lightning. Fun story: My dad was a 'natural' at baseball and, his teammates on an adult softball league always referred to him as "Hobbs" -- brings a smile to my face. 'The Natural' is a celebration of game that has since turned into a playground of gambling, greed, corruption, mistrust & rapacious $$-grabbing.
Roy Hobbs may have never lived {a la Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, et al}, but he's real to us, and that's a testament to Redford's performance. Though middle-aged, Hobbs is the best player around, AND he also has character & principles - a rarity, these days. His innate charm, movie star looks, and even a propensity for having flaws serve him well, here. To that, I like that the filmmakers make Hobbs more heroic & less pathetic; which is what he is in the novel -- too grim for me to consider. Robert Prosky is corruption personified. I liked his faithful bench coach played by Richard Farnsworth. Barbara Hershey is haunting as the raven-clad black widow-like, Harriet. Glenn Close makes an impression as Iris, Hobbs' angelic childhood sweetheart who shows up to break his batting slump. And Kim Basinger is great as temptress Memo, whose murky motives take a back seat to her affection for Hobbs.
'The Natural' was nominated for 4 Academy Awards: Supporting Actress for Glenn Close; Caleb Deschanel's visually poetic cinematography; the period perfect Art Direction; and Randy Newman's heroic music score. The overriding theme of 'The Natural' is redemption. Roy Hobbs has something to prove & makes sure he achieves that with one swing of a bat -- there's nothing like that climactic moment of him rounding the bases amid a shower of sparks & light after having hit the homerun into the stadium lights to achieve his dream. And then the poignant last 'let's have a catch' moment in the field is a PERFECT close. Sure, the film has some simplistic plotting & heavily schmaltzy stretches, but quibble aide, the film has that cinematic magic about it.