180 degrees from the novel -- but worth the deviation!

Rating: Null/10 (28 September 1999)

A terrific job by the ensemble cast led by Barry Levinson's understated, gentle hand in directing. Beautiful, lush camera work by Caleb Deschanel, who knows how to use shadows better than any other cinematographer ever used light. Randy Newman's spectacular score. Hey, I didn't even mind that you could barely tell it came out of a Malamud story -- it's still a great film. Excellent choice for a weekend rental, even if you're not much into baseball.