There are many hills that people claim they will die on. Whether it’s just doing so to instigate arguments, or it’s really a passion that one finds is worth defending at all costs, (or at least within reason). One of these hills that I’ve turned into my own personal Mount Suribachi over the years, is in defense of what I believe is the best sports movie ever made, The Natural, from 1984, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert Redford. Whenever you see or fan polls of the greatest sports films, it rarely cracks the top 10, let alone ever holds the top spot, but you know what? That’s just fine, because it’s a rarity that any one film is ever a consensus number one on any list. What gives me a case of the ol’ raging resentment, is that fact that many people often look at this film just as they look at baseball, which summed up in one word is BORING. This is also mostly the opinions of moviegoers that have only seen the film one or maybe two times. Is it better than you remember? It sure is and I’m going to dig in to my defensive position on that hill and tell you why.

The Natural was adapted for the screen by Roger Towne, based on the novel of the same name, written by Bernard Malamud back in 1952. TriStar Pictures pegged Barry Levinson, who at that time was only really known for his producing and writing credits. The film features many firmly established screen stars, with the likes of Robert Redford, Wilford Brimley, Glenn Close and Robert Duvall leading the way. The supporting characters are extremely well-written into the script as they all play terrific roles that really push the plot along, but never take away from what it’s stars bring to the table. It’s actually quite the opposite. They do the story and its stars a great justice and allow them to shine each in their own ways. Amongst this supporting cast, are names like Robert Prosky, Darin McGavin, Michael Madsen, Barbara Hershey, Red Farnsworth and an up-and-coming Kim Basinger, who was directly off the heels of 1983’s James Bond adventure, Never Say Never Again, alongside Sean Connery.

The Natural tells the story of Roy Hobbs (Redford), who is a baseball prodigy (a natural, if you will). He is seen at the opening of the film, awaiting a train that will take him to New York, because he has been signed by the fictional New York Knights. As he boards the train there is an extensive flashback sequence that gives all the exposition you need, to understand how Roy eventually ended up on that train bound for New York. When Roy ends up in New York, he is an elder unknown, that is not given a second look, until an outfielder for the struggling Knights is benched and Hobbs gets his long-awaited opportunity and never looks back. He instantly becomes a national sensation through his incredible prowess with a baseball bat, which happens to be one he made himself as a young man. His bat (Wonderboy) is almost a character in its own right. With his star on the rise and helping his team climb out of the cellar, the powers that be, majority owner, simply known as “The Judge” (Prosky), and wealthy gambler Gus Sands, (McGavin) set in motion a sabotage scheme to keep Roy and the Knights down for personal financial gain, which in-turn would ruin the pensive, down-on-his-luck manager Pop Fisher, who Wilford Brimley gives a quite lovable, but lamenting tone. Prosky is absolutely wonderful as a scheming miser, appropriately patterned after many baseball owners of the early 20th century. The darkness and shadows of his office really represent his reprehensible nature. Darren McGavin, on the other hand, is deceitful in a much more charming manner. One that makes you pine for his character to be on-screen. This film has no shortage of femme fatales either. Barbara Hershey has a short, but memorable performance as the sultry Harriet Bird in the flashback sequence that sets Roy’s future into motion, but it’s Kim Basinger’s Memo Paris who is used as the seductress years later to entice Hobbs into a life that causes his game to take a backseat. The redeeming female lead in this film is Glenn Close, who plays Iris Gaines, the former girlfriend of Hobbs and angelic catalyst that helps refocus a fledgling Hobbs.

While for most moviegoers, The Natural’s strength tends to be in its on-field magic, and there are ample moments to support this, I feel that it really lies within how its cast portrays their respective characters. They seem so natural (no pun intended) in their demeanor throughout the film. This is the product of both great writing and casting. The art direction and production design is top-notch in displaying a bygone era of baseball and America in the first half of the 20th century. It’s pacing is elegantly methodical, but many have dismissed the film as “slow” over the years, which I believe is a terribly unfair assessment. It gives you terrific exposition when needed and doesn’t focus solely on character arc, because these characters are already who they are, with the exception of Hobbs who still has his own character demons to overcome. It’s just a matter of who will come out on top. The editing is masterful. There aren’t wasted scenes or noticeable shoe leather in this movie. It also doesn’t always have you anxiously awaiting action from game scenes, which some sports films often rely on to keep the audience engaged. Then we get to the film’s score. This is a movie score for the ages. Not only does Randy Newman’s score enhance all the magical and climactic moments of this movie, but it also conveys the mood of each scene as accurately as a film score can. The theme from The Natural has been used in pop culture an uncountable amount of times since its release in 1984.

The Natural is a movie about childhood aspirations, dedication and the love of one’s craft, failure in character, experience, redemption, and above all, one hell of a comeback story with a climax that rivals any sports film and has a maturity that ascends above other films of it’s genre. I rank it as my favorite sports films of all time, but I know I’m in a vast minority on this one. Why not be willing to give it another shot? Roy Hobbs did.