It's A Natural Drama About Baseball

Rating: 8/10 (17 January 2019)

1 December 2012. There is a compelling and appealing naturalness in the presentation of baseball in this movie directed by Barry Levinson. Its restrained features and backdrop support the story and the feel of actual baseball especially during the games are pervasive and emote a sense of realness that is likely to exist with those devoted fans who watch real baseball games, particularly those of importance, on television. Though a few scenes seem to mildly confuse rather than move the storyline with clarity, especially as it comes to various characters and initially who they might be, there is always a confident directorial hand in the background to ensure that the drama and the excitement of baseball and their impact on relationships remains. In a way there is a classical element of It's A Wonderful Life (1946) inserted into the plot of this movie.
Two more contemporary movies likely owe some of their power to this movie - For The Love of the Game (1999), The Rookie (2002) with Dennis Quaid and Moneyball (2011) with Brad Pitt. Unlike the more ethereal fantasy of Field of Dreams (1989) or the lighter docu-history comedy of A League of Their Own (1992), The Natural is a human drama as well as a subtle thriller in the likeness of Chinatown (1974). The Natural brings to the big screen a serious, luscious look at baseball, the human element, along with a dramatic story.