The Natural (1984) [PG] ****

In 1923, talented young baseball pitcher Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) bid goodbye to his girlfriend Iris (Glenn Close) and boarded a train for Chicago, and a tryout with the Cubs. His dream was to be the best there ever was. On the train Roy met The Whammer (Joe Don Baker) a famous slugger likely patterned after Babe Ruth, and when the train made a stop for water, Roy and his agent Sam Simpson (John Finnegan) found themselves in an impromptu contest. With sports columnist Max Mercy (Robert Duvall) acting as the umpire, Roy struck out The Whammer with three pitches, but unfortunately he also met Harriet Bird (Barbara Hershey) a woman obsessed with the need to destroy heroic athletes. Tragedy struck, and Roy never made it to his tryout.

Sixteen years later, a much older and wiser Roy Hobbs walks into the dugout of the last-place New York Knights. In his batting debut, he knocks the cover off the baseball and wins the game. Roy is a natural hitter, and his skills revitalize the team and the pennant prospects of manager Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley) and his assistant Red Blow (Richard Farnsworth). Unfortunately, not everyone wants the Knights to win the pennant, especially the Judge (Robert Prosky), who is part owner of the team, and Gus Sands (Darren McGavin, uncredited), a wealthy bookie. Gus recruits his glamorous girlfriend Memo Paris (Kim Basinger) to distract Roy, and once again, Roy's fascination with a femme fatale threatens to destroy him. Thanks to sportswriter Max Mercy, word of Roy's exploits on the baseball field reaches Iris, now a single mother living in Chicago with her teenage son, and she goes to see Roy play. The goodness she radiates mysteriously lifts him out of a batting slump, and their reunion restores and reinvigorates him.

This is an allegorical drama, played out on a baseball field, in which the forces of good and evil battle for a man's soul. Its underlying philosophy is that if you've got a talent, but rely on it too much, and don't work to develop your ethical principles and moral values, then you will fail. The screenplay, direction, supporting cast, and sets are excellent. Randy Newman's score is uplifting and heroic. If you enjoy baseball-themed romances, especially films like Field of Dreams, For Love of the Game, and The Rookie, then you'll love The Natural.

In 2016, a documentary was released: The Natural: The Best There Ever Was, a 30th Anniversary Documentary. Here is the link to the IMDb page.

Labels: baseball, drama, reunion, romance
Internet Movie Database 74/100
MetaScore (critics=61, viewers=77)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=71, viewers=84)
Blu-ray