Embarrassing swing detracts from a sweet film

Rating: Null/10 (17 August 2002)

Ok, Ok - I realize that (as the title suggests) this film is supposed to be taken as a legend or even a fantasy, and that I should suspend my disbelief and just enjoy the ride. For the most part, I was able to. The script is literate and clever, the cinematography is gorgeous, the kid who plays Hardy is wonderfully natural, Jack Lemmon's voice-over is just folksy enough, Will Smith fits his role like an old broken-in glove, and the Matt/Charlize combo works nicely.
But, my God! - couldn't Robert Redford have found an actor who at least knew how to swing a club? Now I think Matt Damon is a huge talent and a terrific actor, but c'mon - he looked like someone who had never picked up a club, and was then given a crash course just for this film. Later, after seeing the film, I learned that this is just what happened. I'm especially disappointed that Redford would do this, given that he made sure he himself looked quite credible swinging a bat and throwing a ball in "The Natural". (Perhaps having nightmarish visions of Anthony Perkins in "Fear Strikes Out" gave him added motivation.)
This is so important in films about any popular sport, since most of the audience, from watching the pros and top amateurs on TV, can recognize the form that's needed to play at a high level. Most of today's directors know this, and modern sports films have by and large become a great deal more athletically realistic and credible than sports films of the 40's and 50's, some of which were laughable. But, every so often, one still slips through the cracks. Shame on you, Robert Redford.