The Natural

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The Natural

PG

1984

2h 25m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

On the way to a tryout with the Chicago Cubs, young baseball phenom Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) is shot by the unstable Harriet Bird (Barbara Hershey). After 16 years, Hobbs returns to pro baseball as a rookie for the last-place New York Knights. Despite early arguments with his manager, Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley), Hobbs becomes one of the best players in the league, and the Knights start winning. But this upsets the Judge (Robert Prosky), their owner, who wants Hobbs to lose games, not win.

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Critics Consensus

Though heavy with sentiment, The Natural is an irresistible classic, and a sincere testament to America's national pastime.

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

Mar 19, 2013

4/4

Being a baseball fan involves repeatedly experiencing exquisite pain and exquisite joy. Well, there's a lot of both in The Natural.

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Empire Magazine

Mar 25, 2011

An otherwise fine sports fantasy is dragged down by an overindulgence in sentimentality.

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Mar 21, 2011

Levinson must have felt he had to swing for the fences. He can be forgiven for choking up with all The Natural's fans looking on dubiously. In fairness, the official scorer must credit him with a single. And Redford with an RBI.

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Danielle Solzman

Dugout Dirt

Dec 4, 2024

5/5

The Natural has everything going for it--directing, acting, cinematography, and especially Randy Newman's iconic score.

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Stephen Silver

The SS Ben Hecht

May 17, 2024

4/5

It shouldn't work, but it does. It’s a great-looking movie with a true movie star at its center and a cast chock-full of fantastic character actors (40th anniversary)

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Feb 21, 2022

3/4

...ultimately fares much, much better than the often astonishingly tedious Bernard Malamud novel on which its based...

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Nicole

Sep 23, 2025

Love this movie. It has romance, sports, inspiration and intrigue.

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Contrafilms

Sep 23, 2025

An absolute classic. The reason I miss films from the 70s (even though it was made in the 80s). It takes its time, tells a compelling story, doesnt bog you down in the "world" of baseball (even though I wouldn't mind that) and has a cast that is stellar. A real feel-good tearjerker.

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thiago S

@Thiagostone May 6, 2026

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Al A

@RT36830200 Apr 7, 2026

Classic. The best baseball movie ever made, and one of the best sports movies ever made. Great performances by an outstanding cast.

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Leaburn O

@RT35452347 Mar 22, 2026

Didn’t land with me. Improbable, long winded, cheesy, badly acted and dull. Watched on Netflix.

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MC B

@RT23450091 Feb 26, 2026

Maybe the most over-rated movie of all-time. Redford is not believable as a baseball player and the baseball scenes are ridiculous. The mystic stroyline with Glenn Close is just silly. As a baseball fan this film was just disappointing. Don't believe the hype. The story is silly sentimental with really weak baseball scenes. Pass.

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Barry Levinson

Director

Robert Redford

Roy Hobbs

Robert Duvall

Max Mercy

Glenn Close

Iris Gaines

Kim Basinger

Memo Paris

Wilford Brimley

Pop Fisher

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Synopsis

On the way to a tryout with the Chicago Cubs, young baseball phenom Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) is shot by the unstable Harriet Bird (Barbara Hershey). After 16 years, Hobbs returns to pro baseball as a rookie for the last-place New York Knights. Despite early arguments with his manager, Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley), Hobbs becomes one of the best players in the league, and the Knights start winning. But this upsets the Judge (Robert Prosky), their owner, who wants Hobbs to lose games, not win.

Director: Barry Levinson
Producer: Mark Johnson
Screenwriter: Bernard Malamud, Phil Dusenberry
Distributor: TriStar Pictures, Pioneer Entertainment, RCA/Columbia
Production Co: TriStar Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 11, 1984, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Runtime: 2h 25m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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