720. The Natural (1984)

Running Time: 137 minutes
Directed By: Barry Levinson
Written By: Roger Towne, Phil Dusenberry, from novel by Bernard Malamud
Main Cast: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley
Click here to view the trailer

LEVINSON WEEK: PART TWO

Sometimes my "one week" director tributes end up getting stretched over two or three weeks, but expect "Levinson Week" to be wrapped up in a matter of two - three days, as I flip my switch to blitz mode and rocket through these remaining movies of the season.

I've been looking forward to watching "The Natural" ever since I did a double shot of Newman and Redford back in February 2011. In Barry Levinson's 1984 feature, Redford stars as Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy who picks up the game at a young age, being taught how to handle and hit a ball with uncanny accuracy by his since deceased father. When he's on the cusp of breaking into baseball and becoming the greatest player to ever play the game, he is shot by a crazed woman in black (Barbara Hershey) and his dreams are dashed, before anyone ever knows his name. Sixteen years later Hobbs re-enters the baseball diamond as a right fielder for the New York Knights, despite hesitancy from Coach Pop Fisher (Brimley), who is reluctant to let a thirty-five year old rookie play for his team. Pop benches Hobbs, that is until he sees him hit one day and realizes that Hobbs has magic capabilities, complete with a magic bat - "Wonder Boy". From here, standard sports movie rules apply as Hobbs takes the last place Knights and turns them into a sensational team, all the while being at the center of a scandal that threatens to see Pop lose his shares of the Knights to an evil judge, unless he can win the pennant. Meanwhile, Hobbs falls under the spell of the not so innocent damsel Memo Paris (Basinger) and reunites with his teenage love Iris (Close), all the while being chased by crooked sports columnist Max Mercy (Duvall).

SPOILER ALERT!

Perhaps the biggest disappointment since "The Hustler", "The Natural" had me ready to throw in the towel by about the ninety minute mark, as this movie played out like a baseball game that went into unwarranted extra innings. THE BOOK doesn't make not of any flaws (except to point out that the  style is hardly realistic) and only points out the fine ensemble cast as the reason for this film's inclusion. I'm right there with them on that note, agreeing 100% about the ultra fine cast. Robert Redford, of course, heads up the group and I can definitively say that Robert Redford is a favorite of mine. You won't hear me complaining about Robert Duvall, Wilford Brimley or Darren McGavin either, as they all were right on key, turning in fine performances and supporting Redford beautifully. Also, if you don't blink, you'll catch glimpses of Michael Madsen and Joe Don Baker, who also do a fine job adding a little something to the cast list. As for the ladies, Kim Basinger has never impressed me in anything she's done and while I am a fan of Glenn Close, I didn't care for her here. I'd much rather see Close portraying an evil or psychotic woman (ie. "Fatal Attraction" or "Dangerous Liaisons").

Sports movies are a tough one for me, because the way I see it you've only got two choices for an ending. Either the team loses the big game or they win the big game. For years and years, the cliche ending was, of course, to have the team triumph in the end, win the pennant/Superbowl/World Series/playoffs/match and close the movie while the team celebrated, hoisting the main character (because he's the one that hit/threw the game winning point) onto their shoulders as the film fades to black. In more recent years and with films like the remake of "Bad News Bears" or "Friday Night Lights", it has become more commonplace for the main team to lose, a device used only for the intention of throwing the audience and trying too hard to be original. I'm begging to see a sports movie where they go for secret option #3, where the big game gets rain delayed and the team neither wins, nor loses.

I was having a good time with "The Natural". They were throwing me curve balls for a while there (no pun intended). I didn't see Barbara Hershey's character pulling a gun coming, nor was I able to predict Bump Bailey's death. However, once Hobbs joined the team and was put into the game, the rest of the movie was pretty much a paint by numbers model and the ending had home run written all over it. However, the formula was working just fine, outstanding even, but the addition of the corrupt judge storyline and the overly melodramatic ending, with Hobbs' son (whom he'd never met) and Iris in the stands and donning his bloodstained jersey, he nails a home run into the lights, blowing them up and rounding the bases while electricity blows up overhead...it was all way too much! Redford is great, in fact most of the cast is great and for a while the movie works really well. However, certain pieces of the plot and the length work against the picture and ultimately it doesn't stand out.

RATING: 6.5/10  Uh oh, Levinson seems to be stuck on a '6.5' with only two movies left to get him out of his rut. Plus, I too am in a rut, not having seen a really decent movie since "Brazil" and in dire need of being blown away. "Rain Man" can't get hear soon enough! Next up in "Levinson Week": "Good Morning Vietnam" - oh yay...more war!

MOVIES WATCHED: 582
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 419

November 19, 2012  2:50am