Three words: Pure movie magic.

Rating: 9/10 (11 September 2002)

Incredible story of true courage and overcoming adversity that follows Robert Redford (in one of his best roles) as a former prodigy, Roy Hobbs, who resurfaces in the thirties to help a struggling baseball team make a run for the National League pennant.
Not only Redford is great here, but so is the supporting cast. Glenn Close, Kim Basigner, and Barbara Hershey are among the women whom he meets, Robert Duvall is the sports reporter who isn't sure if Hobbs has anything left to prove, Robert Prosky and an unbilled Darren McGavin show their doubts, and Wilford Brimely and the late Richard Farnsworth are the bench coaches who give Hobbs a chance to play again.
The movie is based on the novel by Bernard Malamud and it's treated like glass in the direction of Barry Levinson, who's made some bad choices in recent time ("Sphere", "Toys", and my least favorite - "Sleepers"). Another noteworthy is the musical score by Randy Newman and the Norman Rockwell-like scenry provided by Caleb Deschanel.
I can sum up "The Natural" in three words: pure movie magic. This movie show us the bright side of baseball when it's not tainted by bitter labor disputes, or ugly bench-clearing brawls.