Iconic baseball scene

Rating: 8/10 (26 April 2014)

Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) is a young ballplayer who on a train trip strikes out The Whammer on 3 pitches. When he gets involved with Harriet Bird (Barbara Hershey), she shoots him sidelining his career. Years later in 1939, Roy Hobbs re-enters the major leagues as an old rookie in the New York Knights. He's been hired by the owner The Judge (Robert Prosky). The Judge and the coach Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley) have a bet. Pop could get back some of his shares of the team if he could win this year. So he assumes Hobbs is nothing more than The Judge sabotaging his year and refuses to let him play. When he finally relents, Hobbs literally knocks the cover off of the ball with his bat Wonderboy. Max Mercy (Robert Duvall) is a newspaper man who keeps hounding Hobbs for his life story. Memo Paris (Kim Basinger) is Pop's niece and bad luck who is in cahoots with bookie Gus Sands. Iris Gaines (Glenn Close) is his salvation from the past.
I don't really like his introduction. It would probably make more sense to have a young lookalike to do those scenes. At first blush, the passing of years may not be as appreciated by the audience. It may be a good idea to use the younger version as simple flashbacks. Redford just don't look different enough in those two different time frames. That aside, Barry Levinson does know how to shoot a beautiful movie. The movie does have its slower spots, but it fits the mystical feel of the story. This movie runs like a fantasy.
One thing is for sure. There is that iconic home run scene. Sometimes a scene or an image can stand for something bigger. For that alone, I have added one point to my vote.