‘Some mistakes, I guess we never stop paying for...’
Sports movies essentially fall into two categories for me: Rocky and Kevin Costner. The former is possibly my all time favourite film franchise, and the latter is… well… it’s King Kev isn’t it. A man who I would be fully onboard taking into my home as a substitute father. I’d like to play catch with Kevin Costner ideally. Perhaps he’d stroke my hair? What am I reviewing again? Ah yes… The Natural – not starring Kevin Costner, but definitely a sports movie, and a fantastic one at that…
Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) is a naturally gifted baseball pitcher with a big career ahead of him. After an encounter with an unscrupulous sports journalist (Robert Duvall), a Babe Ruth like baseball legend nicknamed ‘The Whammer’ (Joe Don Baker), and a mysterious femme fatale (Barbara Hershey), Hobbs leaves baseball and vanishes without a trace for 16 years, only to return as a right fielder for Major League Baseball’s worst team, the New York Knights. Under the tutelage of avuncular team manager Pop Fisher (Wilfred Brimley), a man supposedly cursed never to win anything within the sport, Hobbs emerges as an overnight sensation. Unfortunately, the nefarious team owner, known only as The Judge (Robert Prosky), along with his corrupt bookie, Gus Sands (an uncredited Darren McGavin), and his doe-eyed accomplice, Memo Paris (Kim Basinger), have other ideas. Glenn Close also appears as a symbol of Hobbs’ potential redemption.
I should begin by saying that if you’re looking for authenticity, this is not the film for you. The Natural makes Rocky IV look like a documentary. I would argue, however, that sports movies are supposed to be escapism. I want to see impossible feats. Roy of the Rovers-esque nonsense. Good triumphing over evil. And if that means Robert Redford hitting a home run with his home made bat just as lightning strikes the stadium then I am absolutely here for that. This is pure wish fulfilment stuff, but Redford is so charismatic and likeable that I was perfectly happy to suspend my disbelief over some of the more outlandish elements of the plot (of which there are many) and just allow myself to get swept up in it all.
Director Barry Levinson has made several excellent films in his career (Sleepers; Rain Man; Good Morning, Vietman; etc), and Redford is one of the most celebrated actors in Hollywood history, but there is a strong argument that in terms of pure entertainment, this is the best film that either of them have been involved in. The Natural is a top tier sports movie and a wonderful cinematic experience in general. Take me out to the ballgame.
