The Natural

Based on Bernard Malamud's 1952 novel of the same name, The Natural is a baseball film starring Robert Redford. Redford portrays Roy Hobbs, a gifted but aging five-tool ballplayer looking for one more shot at the bigs. The Natural documents Hobbs's struggles and good fortunes leading up to a memorable albeit, exaggerated ending.

The film begins with an aging Roy Hobbs on a train headed for New York where he will try out for the New York Knights, a fictitious National League team. Hobbs, seemingly in a deep state of thought, considers all of the events in his life that lead up to his journey to New York, particularly, the advice he received from his deceased father and his trip to Chicago to try out for the Cubs. While on the way to Chicago, Hobbs is seduced by Harriet Bird, who views him as the best baseball player alive after he strikes out "The Whammer," the best hitter in the league at the time. She is later revealed as a serial killer, seeking to kill the best athlete in each major sport, and adds Hobbs to her list of victims; although Hobbs isn't killed, this seriously threatens his career. The flashback sequence ends when Hobbs arrives in New York and is signed by the Knights, who acquire him simply to fill up a roster spot.

Roy Hobbs is actually a fairly deep character with a bevy of emotional issues and character flaws as well as some very admirable traits, which ultimately make him very endearing and human. Throughout the film, Hobbs is faced with a number of dilemmas; for example, there are two instances in which females with unclear motives seduce him, and on both occasions, they hurt his career. On the other hand, Hobbs is offered a rather lucrative proposal from the owner of the Knights, known only as the Judge, to "throw" the rest of the season; Hobbs refuses, citing his loyalty to the Knights' manager, Pop.

Overall, The Natural is a well-made film that suffers from some sequencing and timing issues. There are a few holes in the plot and some things that seem as though they should have been developed more, such as the rekindling of Hobbs's relationship with his childhood sweetheart, Iris. Also, some of the scenes seem to drag on for too long and at times, certain plot points take a while to develop. On the other hand, there are a number of extremely memorable scenes that play out like sequences from both an ancient Greek myth and an American folktale. The Natural is not a great film by any means, but it is very endearing and entertaining.