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With: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, Barbara Hershey, Robert Prosky, Richard Farnsworth
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Written by: Roger Towne, Phil Dusenberry, based on a novel by Bernard Malamud
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Directed by: Barry Levinson
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MPAA Rating: PG
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Running Time: 134
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Date: 05/11/1984
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Wonderboy
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Often ranked as one of the great baseball movies, Barry Levinson's The Natural is truly gorgeous, both in its cinematography and in its sound (and music). It has plenty of stand-up-and-cheer moments, but it's also really long, often wrongheaded, and perpetually goopy. Roy Hobb (Robert Redford) makes a bet that he can strike out a Babe Ruth-like batter called "The Whammer" (Joe Don Baker) and wins. Soon after a sexy woman (Barbara Hershey) introduces herself to him, and in her hotel room, she shoots him. Sixteen years later, Roy tries to make a comeback with the last-place New York Knights, and he's still got it. But there are ups and downs, and his old girlfriend (Glenn Close) comes back into his life, and trips to the hospital, etc. It leaves off with such a feel-good vibe that it's difficult to quibble, but it could have been tighter. Apparently, there's an even longer director's cut. It earned Oscar nominations for Close (Best Supporting Actress), Randy Newman's score, Caleb Deschanel's cinematography, and the spiffy-looking 1930s and 40s art direction.
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