Missed Opportunities

Rating: 5/10 (15 May 2006)

A great potential come-back story that misses too many opportunities.
Like, why did Harriet Bird (Barbara Hershey) shoot Roy Hobbs (Redford)? It was never made clear. That would have been a great sub-plot in itself. Say, she was his girl and was jealous of everything, and crazy to boot, and he didn't see it coming, and got it. Or something like that.
Or a hint that Roy *could* have fathered a child with Iris (Glenn Close). There wasn't even a hint, like in Forrest Gump. And the fact that he was "away" for 16 years doesn't add up. The kid who we see at the end for too little time is about 10-12 years old. He should be 16-ish, which could have him as a budding, tough High School player. It would have been poignant if he was a true star player, and that Roy, whom we only fleetingly learn is his Daddy at the end, would come back to become his pitching/hitting coach. But maybe I'm asking too much.
And besides, this is the 30'-50's. A woman who has a child out of wedlock would have been a scandal. Why was this fact ignored? And it was strange that she didn't marry. Why? Was she in love with Roy all the time and was waiting for him to come back? That, too, was alluded to, but the point wasn't driven home, so to speak. And when she did find him, Glen Close's reaction was much too subtle and un-emotional for my taste. This is the father of her only child for crying out loud. So, cry out loud.
And how and when did Roy make his decision to come back to play ball? This was quickly glossed over when Roy told Iris what had happened during the course of the 16 years apart, but it would have been dramatically worthwhile to see his "epiphany" of deciding to return.
And just how does Memo Paris (Kim Basinger) "jinx" Roy and cause him to play poorly? Does she distract him? Did she out-and-out bribe him, or convince him? Did she take up so much of his time that he was quite simply exhausted? It's not clear at all.
And when the Knights play poorly, they play like Little Leaguers. I mean, a team that plays like that just doesn't exist in major league ball. And not in AAA,AA,A, nor rookie ball. Now, I don't mean to get too technical here, but showing them playing like that is going overboard. They should have shown them playing OK, but there was a "je ne sais quois" missing. A mental "push" that helps them play truly top quality ball. And that mental inspiration is Roy Hobbs.
Now, it was made clear that he inspired the team to improve, no question about it. And it was made clear that "Bump" (Michael Madsen) the right-fielder, was throwing the game, being bribed by The Judge (Robert Prosky).
So, I agree with Roger Ebert in this case. It is a movie about idolizing Robert Redford, and it has very little to do with baseball.