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The Natural
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01:33
The Natural
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- 1984
- Barry Levinson
- 116 mins
- PG
Summary
Baseball drama starring Robert Redford. When a tree on the family farm is hit by lightning, young Roy Hobbs fashions a baseball bat from its trunk. The bat, which he names "Wonderboy", is invested with awesome power and launches Roy on a promising baseball career.
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Review
A star rating of 4 out of 5.
Joanna Berry
Based on Bernard Malamud's 1952 novel, this is a wistful and often memorable look at the world of baseball by Rain Man director Barry Levinson. Robert Redford is at his beautiful best as Roy Hobbs, a promising player who experiences the highs and lows of the game as well as relationships. (This is one of the many American movies that equates their national sport with the biggest ball game of all - life.) This is more Field of Dreams than Bull Durham: baseball here is seen as something magical - Redford has a mystical bat named "Wonderboy", which he fashioned from a tree struck by lightning - rather than merely a sport. If you can suspend disbelief and let yourself be drawn into the movie, you'll be rewarded with an emotional and heart-warming experience that will have you cheering. Meanwhile Caleb Deschanel's scintillating, Oscar-nominated cinematography is just sublime.
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7.4/10
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Credits
Cast
rolenameRoy HobbsRobert RedfordMax MercyRobert DuvallIrisGlenn CloseMemo ParisKim BasingerPop FisherWilford BrimleyHarriet BirdBarbara HersheyThe JudgeRobert ProskyRed BlowRichard FarnsworthThe WhammerJoe Don BakerEd HobbsAlan FudgeYoung RoyPaul Sullivan Jr"Bump" BaileyMIchael MadsenGus SandsDarren McGavin
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Crew
rolenameDirectorBarry Levinson
Details
Theatrical distributor
Columbia-Emi-Warner Dists Ltd
Languages
English
Guidance
Contains some violence and swearing.
Available on
video and DVD
Formats
Colour
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