Enjoyable, but ultimately disappointing

Rating: 6/10 (18 September 2002)

I'll probably make myself unpopular here, as the consensus seems to be that this is a great movie. I found it enjoyable, but ultimately disappointing.

I read the novel many years ago (around the time the movie first came out) and resisted seeing the movie because the novel did almost nothing for me. I was persuaded to see the movie on the grounds that it is in fact not true to the book. I agree that the movie is an improvement on the book in many ways, not least because it lacks pretension.
The Natural movie certainly held my attention for the 2+ hours and is homely entertainment, Hollywood style. However, the characters are terribly two-dimensional and the ending "ball by ball" predictable - even to a Limey baseball greenhorn like myself.
If you want a couple of hours of pacey family entertainment, watch and enjoy. If you want to see a truly great or classic movie, personally I would recommend that you look elsewhere.