Rating: 
Summary: Could Have Been Better
Review: I thought Robert Redford gave a good performance in the movie but it was not a great plot and it could have been better written and directed. The movie is somewhat complicated and slow moving. There is only limited baseball action. A lot of it is about the main character a player - Redford - and whether he is too ill or not to play an important game and whether or not he will throw the game as demanded by his manager to help the bookies. It is not a movie/DVD that I would run out and buy.If you want a good baseball movie see Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner. Jack in Toronto
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Summary: A sports hero who never was but always will be....
Review: This film is based on but takes certain liberties with Bernard Malamud's novel of the same name, published in 1952. The focal point is Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) who encounters all manner of barriers while attempting to become the world's greatest baseball player. Both in the novel and in the film, he has critically important relationships with three women: mysterious Harriet Bird (Barbara Hershey), devious Memo Paris (Kim Basinger), and "grand motherly" Iris Lemon in the novel who is renamed Iris Gaines (played by Glenn Close) in the film. The plot slowly builds to a truly exciting climax when an injured and weak Hobbs has one last chance to help his team win a championship. To this point, he has been victimized by so many people but he is sustained by Iris' love and devotion as he steps into the batter's box. (In the novel, she observes, "We have two lives, Roy, the life we learn with and the life we live with after that. Suffering is what brings us toward happiness.") Whether or not the New York Knights win, he has finally found personal happiness as he awaits the first pitch. And then.... For those who have already seen The Natural, many of their favorite scenes and images are probably the same as my own. The pyrotechnical climax, of course, but also Roy's confrontation with The Whammer (Joe Don Baker) as a train and its other passengers await nearby, the uncommonly tender relationship which gradually develops between Roy and Iris, Duvall's almost cartoonish portrayal of cynical sportswriter Max Mercy, and Darren McGavin's brilliant portrayal of Gus Sands. Other members of the supporting cast are also first-rate, notably Barbara Hershey and Wilford Brimley. It is important to keep in mind that the film is based on a novel in which Malamud blends fantasy and reality so brilliantly that we begin to think that the highest levels of human imagination are the purest forms of reality. Phil Dusenbury's screenplay is faithful to Malamud while allowing director Levinson and his cast to present the narrative in remarkably effective visual terms. Caleb Deschanel was nominated for an Academy Award for best cinematography but it was presented to Chris Menges (The Killing Fields). My own preference was Miroslav Ondricek). One man's opinion.
Rating:
Summary: The Natural Brew
Review: The Natural is like a good beer. When you are young it tastes different than when you get older. As a kid, the first time I watched The Natural I dreamed to be the hero like Robert Redford, helping the losing team become a respectable and a winning team. I didn't understand the flashbacks but I believed in the magic.
The story begins with a young Roy Hobbs practicing baseball. One summer night a huge lightening bolt strikes an oak tree outside of his bedroom window. Hobbs makes a bat from the fallen oak tree. He carves a lightening bolt onto the bat and carriers the bat throughout his baseball career. This event is where Hobbs is transformed; he can play infield, the outfield and has unnatural power when at bat. Robert Redford plays the part of Roy Hobbs perfectly. He is quiet, determined and focused, he appears to be a natural athlete. The story takes a turn due to bad luck; all baseball players are superstitious as the movie gives a lot reference to that.
Women are Hobs' weakness and cause him to have bad luck in his life. This is a problem for athletes because they get distracted. Kim Bassinger plays her role well as a beautiful seductress. And the reason this story is great is that Hobbs' love for the game gives him the power to give every once of his strength to the game he loves. This story gets better each time you see it and it never goes flat. It is a classic.
Rating: 
Summary: My favorite sports movie
Review: I would actually give it 4 & 1/2 stars, but that is not an option. I rarely give 5 stars to any movie. The main reason for this review is to clean up a misconception. Some people think that the movie incorrectly portrays Hobbs hitting a "walk-off" home run as a visiting player. When Hobbs hits the home run in Wrigley Field (why the two levels of seats in the outfield?) that breaks his slump, and the clock, this was in fact the top of the inning. It appears that when he goes to the stands to find Glenn Close's character, it is following his home run trot. If you notice, after he hits it, none of the Cub's players leave the field or their positions, because the game is not over. Also, the scoreboard correctly shows that the Cubs are the home team, with their score on the bottom. There is a small "cutaway" scene between when he hits the home run, and when he goes searching for her with all the flashbulbs going off. Perhaps the editing could have been done a little better, but Hobb's home run was NOT hit in the BOTTOM of the ninth by the visiting team. That being said, in the game the next day (where he hits 4 home runs) listen to the announcer. Right before Hobbs hits his 3rd homer, it sounds like he announces the score and that the game is in the BOTTOM of the 6th. Just a minor quibble. Overall, a great movie. Whammer, "Scared?"
Hobbs, "Not of you, I'm not."
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST BASEBALL MOVIE.
Review: "The Natural" is the biggest influence of all the baseball movies that appeared after 1984, and that's because this is a very good film. "The Natural" is one of the best movies of the director Barry Levinson, and also features an all-star cast: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close & Kim Basinger. "The Natural" has a message: better late than never. Despite the fact that the main character Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) is a 35 year old rookie, he never quits to his dream of becoming the best baseball player. This movie is recommendable for all baseball fans.
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Summary: Read the book as well!
Review: My son recently had to read for school the Bernard Malamud novel, "The Natural," on which the film was based. I was quite intrigued to read that the book ends very differently from the film. I won't ruin the ending for you; you'll have to buy a copy for yourself! (Of course, you should order it from Amazon.com.) Having read the book enhanced by appreciation for the movie, that's for sure.
Rating:
Summary: Coulda Been Great
Review: THE NATURAL has some truly great elements, especially the much copied score, good cinematography, and some moments that almost capture the mythical quality of baseball. Unfortunately, it falls short of the greatness it should have achieved. Nevertheless, THE NATURAL is arguably one of the better films about baseball (along with "Pride of the Yankees"), and it's worth a look. Robert Redford plays Roy Hobbs, a man who truly loves baseball. All his life, he's been poised for greatness, but life has thrown him for some loops. He returns to the game in his late 30s and gets a final shot. Redford is pretty good in the role, although he's really too old for the part. Barry Levinson directs, and his direction is unusally ham-fisted...he and the actors telegraph every plot twist. Glenn Close was nominated for an Oscar, but she really isn't that good as Hobb's long-time love interest. Ultimately, the movie is too melodramatic and unfocused with cardboard characters, especially the villianous judge. Extras: The only real DVD extra is a documentary on the movie featuring Cal Ripken Jr. It's pretty good, more affecting than the movie!
Rating:
Summary: An ethereal, thinking-man's movie
Review: This movie is often considered to be the greatest film ever made about baseball, but it's much more than that. To restrict "The Natural" to the genre of a sports movie is to miss its essential point and its goodness. No doubt that many will never gravitate towards this film, which is much more intellectual and adroit than other sports movies. Here the characters are muted, ethereal and other-worldly, but you understand them and their motivations. Robert Redford is perfectly cast as the aging hero, Roy Hobbs. Never a favorite of mine, Redford delivers a stellar rendering; it's hard to imagine any other actor pulling off this role. Redford was 47 years old at the time of filming, but he's still trim, beautiful and wistful, like an aging oak tree. He underplays the role and is never likeable or knowable, but that is part of the charm. Unlike movies such as "The Pride of the Yankees," the baseball scenes here are believable and Redford looks like an athlete. The only small criticism is that they film all the pitches in slow-motion to heighten the dramatic effects. Glenn Close and Kim Basinger are adequate, nothing more, in their roles. Robert Duvall, as the inquisitive sports writer, is excellent, which is hardly surprising since Duvall is always exceptional in any role. The cinematography is awe inspiring. Watch when Roy hits homeruns which cascade into the lights and the resulting explosions and fireworks. It's poetry and beauty all at once. Watch the shadows fall as the "Wonder Boy" bat is broken and the tubby bat boy hands Roy another stick. The subplot of murder, avarice and revenge are omnipresent and not the outstanding portions of the movie. The greatness lies in the scenes on the diamond itself, as well as the poignant interplay between Close and Redford off the field. I've seen this film a dozen times and never fail to tear up when Glenn Close stands next to her son in the waning moments of the film and Hobbs blasts another home run. A mesmerizing movie, a true keeper.
Rating: 
Summary: If you can read, don't see this cow pile
Review: 10 reasons this movie is horrid: 1. It's Bud Selig's favorite. Enough said. 2. Redford uses it to show his "youth" by putting vaseline on the camera lens. He looks ridiculous, old, and unathletic. 3. They rip the book apart, change the real ending to a Hollywood joke, and basically insult anyone wiht an IQ above 50 (obviosuly, sportswriters not incldued in this group). 4. Sportswriters love it (see # 3). 5. Yah, these guys look like realistic athletes. Michale Madsen screams "mafia drug-addicted enforcer" not "ball player". 6. Robert Duvall, why oh why are you the stupidest reporter on the planet? 7. Cheesy. Hokum. BS. Disney-fied. Get the idea? 8. Kim Basinger does not equal femme fatal. She equals dumb blonde who can't act. 9. Did I mention the ending yet? 10. This would begin a long line of "Robert Redford Does Heartfelt Hokey Drama" that annoys the dung out of all of us (Bagger Vance? Horse Whisperer? Let's continue the list for the soccer moms and x-dominated males...)
Rating:
Summary: One of the best baseball movies out there
Review: This is an extrordinary depiction of Roy Hobbs' dream to be the "best there ever was" in baseball. Certainly the whole "good vs evil" concept has been done time and time again in movies, but the way this film constructs the fall of Hobbs, and tranforms him into the living legend of the New York Knights, is wonderful. One of the paramount messages of the film is not just the story of Roy Hobbs. It is about belief in an idea and making it happen. Hobbs' quest takes him from small town guy who dreams of making it big to having to come back later to baseball because of an injury suffered. When he gets to the "show" later in life, he must restore faith in a "washed up" manager who does not think he has what it takes. To attain his dream, he also must sidestep the corruption of powerful owners and media personalities. Critics of the film may say that some of the parts are unreal. I don't think the story was meant to be an accurate illustration of a typical baseball player's life; it is a mythological journey for Roy Hobbs to come from the depths of failure to the joy of achievement. I think this is a great movie for anyone, especially a baseball fan, because it is inspirational and sends a positive message about achievement of one's dreams.
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