Genuinely shocking opening act, but then settles in to standard sports movie fare. Great score and a truly wonderful final ten minutes, but this felt like a very long shaggy dog tale that didn't add up to much.

The kind of sport movie you can see coming from a mile away, even when you know nothing about baseball. I can see why it's so beloved.

Film 82 (Goal: 300) of 2024 Boy, I love sports movies. And The Natural is no exception. There's so many iconic moments in this film, that have been copied or reproduced into other media - things such as The Simpsons for example. And is there a better swell of music than the triumphant moments within The Natural. Robert Redford is fantastic as the kid with a dream, armed with natural talent and a hell of bat. The film has a great opening act but admittedly around act 2 it starts to get bogged down in repetition and Director Barry Levinson doesn't do enough to freshen up the palette of the film. However the last 10 minutes of the film, are some of the best put to screen that I can recall in some time. The drama, the music, the direction, the iconic imagery. Those last 10 minutes alone are perfect.

A twilight film about a price-tagged baseball player.

The most whimsical Baseball movie of all time. A true classic.