Videos
The Natural
An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to the top of the league.
6.899
137 min
Release
1984-05-11
Genres
Cast
Robert Redford
as Roy Hobbs
Robert Duvall
as Max Mercy
Glenn Close
as Iris Gaines
Kim Basinger
as Memo Paris
Wilford Brimley
as Pop Fisher
Barbara Hershey
as Harriet Bird
Robert Prosky
as The Judge
Richard Farnsworth
as Red Blow
Joe Don Baker
as The Whammer
Michael Madsen
as Bump Bailey
John Finnegan
as Sam Simpson
Alan Fudge
as Ed Hobbs
Ken Grassano
as Al Fowler
Mike Starr
as BooneMickey Treanor
as Doc Dizzy
Jon Van Ness
as John OlsenAnthony J. Ferrara
as Coach WilsonGeorge Wilkosz
as Bobby SavoyPaul Sullivan Jr
as Young RoyRachel Hall
as Young IrisSibby Sisti
as Pirates Manager
Ralph Tabakin
as Ali's Customer
Edward Walsh
as Newsreel PresenterRobert Rich III
as Ted HobbsPhilip Mankowski
as Hank Benz
Danny Aiello III
as Emil LaJongJoe Castellano
as Allie StubbsEddie Cipot
as Gabby LaslowRobert Kalaf
as Cal Baker
Barry Kivel
as Pat McGeeSteven Kronovet
as Tommy HinkleJames Meyer
as Dutch SchultzSam Green
as Murphy
Martin Grey
as Additional KnightJoseph Mosso
as Additional KnightRichard Oliveri
as Additional KnightLawrence Couzens
as Additional KnightDuke McGuire
as Additional KnightStephen Poliachik
as Additional KnightKevin Lester
as Additional KnightJoseph Charboneau
as Additional KnightRobert Rudnick
as Additional KnightKen Kamholz
as Additional KnightPhillip D. Rosenberg
as Pitcher YoungberryChristopher B. Rehbaum
as Pitcher John RhoadesNicholas Koleff
as Umpire AugieJerry Stockman
as Umpire BabeJames Quamo
as Memorial Game UmpireJoe Strnad
as Final Game Home Plate UmpireJames Mohr
as AlRalph Tabakin
as Al's CustomerDennis Gould
as Carnival BoyJoshua Abbey
as Home Plate PhotographerGayle Vance
as Maid at PartyGeorge Scheitinger
as League OfficialPeter Poth
as Dr. Knobb
Bernie McInerney
as Hospital DoctorElizabeth Ann Klein
as Stern NurseCharles Sergis
as Newsreel Narrator (voice)Carol Alaimo
as Extra (uncredited)Bernie Arnesen
as Wrigley Field Spectator (uncredited)Mark Atienza
as Young Roy Hobbs (uncredited)Lori Berezin
as Ballroom Dancer (uncredited)Sean Collins
as Additional Knight (uncredited)
Darren W. Conrad
as Teen on Railroad Track at Carnival (uncredited)
Mark Falvo
as Baseball Fan (uncredited)
James K. Fulater
as Baseball Crowd (uncredited)
Greg Hinaman
as Fan in stands at War Memorial & All-High Stadium (uncredited)Diane H. Kelly
as One of Gus' Girls (uncredited)
Darren McGavin
as Gus Sands (uncredited)Bernard S. Misiura Jr.
as Young Fan in Driving Cap (uncredited)Brian Reingold
as Baseball Fan (uncredited)
Jack Scalia
as Cubs Pitcher (uncredited)Director
REVIEWS
John Chard
The Wonder of Wonderboy. The Natural is directed by Barry Levinson and adapted to screenplay by Roger Towne & Phil Dusenberry from the novel written by Bernard Malamud. It stars Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, Barbara Hershey, Robert Prosky and Richard Farnsworth. Music is by Randy Newman and cinematography by Caleb Deschanel. The Natural is a wistful sports movie, one that asks every person who views it to buy into the whimsy and mythologising on show. If able to do that then it's a film of beguiling beauty, awash with strength of the human spirit and of luscious technical credits. The Arthurian core to Roy Hobbs' (Redford a superb presence yet calmness personified) second chance ensures we always know this is fanciful stuff, but that's just fine, we are in Field of Dreams territory here and fans of such fare are rewarded royally. Period art design, photography and musical score are grade "A", snuggling up nicely with a support cast to Redford that is of high end proportions. If it's in you and you know what sort of film to expect, you may well, come the end, be punching the air whilst having a tear in your eye. Lovely film making. 8.5/10
narrator56
Many, many years ago when I was a bit of a sports fan, I remember reading stories about scouts who had seen athletes in the olden days like Roy Hobbs. Players who could hit a ball a mile or throw a hundred mile per hour fastball, but who never made it to the big league for some reason. But of course, this movie is based on a novel by Bernard Malamud, though there are hints of actual events here and there. It is an entertaining movie, presenting baseball as America’s game and therefore, ultimately, above corruption. It has an old timey feel, perhaps even older than the 1939 setting that is presented. The movie is less gloomy than the book, and I guess the purists don’t like that, but for me, life is gloomy enough and the mood and ending were just fine with me. (And I did read the book.) Since actual events and people from bygone days are cleaned up and mythologized for our history books, why get upset when fictional stories are purified with a rose colored lens?
