Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Rexanne It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Keath Benson I enjoy this movie whenever I see it which proves you don't need to be a baseball or even a sports fan to like this story. However I don't think the movie is about baseball. I believe it to be an allegory of America. From it's youthful hopefulness to its near death (civil war?)to its excess (eating until it (he) bursts). The movie culminating in an ever bright future while the book was decidedly more pessimistic. And with all this you can choose to ignore these subtleties and just enjoy a good story well told.

Sam smith (sam_smithreview) The photography is what film schools could only dream of. The acting is brilliant...with dozens of all-time memorable lines!! The directing is so detailed and so perfect, it illustrates EXACTLY how athlete's from around the world, of all generations, dream their greatness would be realized and remembered! It captures the very essence of sports and the extremely complex character that all great athletes possess. There are only 5 sports movies that have accomplished this: (the others are: Rocky, Hoosiers, & Chariots Of Fire & Raging Bull)! In all...Barry Levinson and Robert Redford created a MASTERPIECE. More that just baseball - a story of the difference between good and evil. The courage that lies within each of us and the opportunity to shine through in one brief moment. There is not a single character out of place -Performance-Wise: Robert Redford is fantastic in the lead role. The legendary actor delivers one of his best performances in here. Glenn Close is amazingly restrained. Kim Basinger is impressive. Bobby Duvall is dependable, as always. Robert Prosky is quite good. Others lend good support.

rusty13252 This movie was pure garbage.The end was idiotic BS.It was not only a waste of my time. I would of rather been sitting in a dentist chair having my teeth pulled then watch this crap but I feel like my IQ dropped 20 points by watching this trash.I have never been a Redford fan but quit honestly this is as bad as Barefoot in the Park.Which i consider a top three worst movie of all time but i actually wrap all Redford films into one when it comes to bad movies. I would rather list his good movies . That list is much shorter then the list of his stinkers.But again the only movie he ever made i enjoyed was Brubaker.I would not wish The Natural on my worst enemy. They should show this film in prison as a punishment.

secondtake The Natural (1984)What an outsized reputation this sentimental, sloppy movie has! Even the famous scene with Glenn Close standing up in the stands in the sun is smaller than you'd expect. In fact, if you take this movie as a straight ahead story of a glorious (if fictional) baseball past, it's simplistic and overly sentimental to the point of unwatchable.But it's not straight ahead. It's a fable. It does silly things knowing that they would work in an illustrated children's book, so why not make it a sepia-toned over-the-top feel-good Hollywood bash? Indeed.So when Robert Redford (who does not, by the way, have the biceps for power hitting) smashes a pitch so hard he rips the skin off the ball, it's not for real. Or it's better than real. And so forth with lightning arriving in time for his last big hit, or having his rival crash through a wall and die (yes die!) just when he needs a chance to take position in right field. Treating this as a fable about a man with talent and a dream, and with some kind of sloppy honor to his past (you'll see), makes it very watchable. It's doesn't quite make it "good" however, so be prepared to like the film only on its own simple terms. It's fun if you don't think too hard. This movie has great credentials, including Barry Levinson directing and Robert Duvall in a secondary role. Honestly, it's just not my kind of film—check out "The Pride of the Yankees" for a really good baseball film—but I can see how it would settle nicely on a lot of folks, including young people with dreams of being the best.