The Natural (1984) *First Time Watching Reaction! | Best Baseball Movie? |

The Natural (1984) *First Time Watching Reaction! | Best Baseball Movie? |
We react to seeing The Natural for the first time. The Natural is a 1984 Sport/Drama starting Robert Redford, Glenn Close and Kim Basinger. The Natural follows the baseball career of Roy Hobbs (Redford). Watch us react to seeing The Natural for the first time. We give our thoughts and rate the natural at the end. For more reactions subscribe to Force of Light Entertainment.
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[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

Share your thoughts, subscribe and give the video a 👍🏻💚

[@jonboldrey5339]

Ending is awesome 🇺🇸🤠💪

[@clarencewalker3925]

Baseball is important to a lot of American women as well. And this movie was based on a book. "Major League" was an original screenplay. Don't forget "42" starring Chadwick Boseman.

[@VonBlade]

The best Baseball movie is Bull Durham. It's not even close. There are other movies involving baseball, but Bull Durham is a baseball film.

[@mikesilva3868]

​@@jonboldrey5339😊agreed

[@bradhorowitz2765]

The natural may not be the most famous sports movie but it ranks to me as one of the better ones. Actually the ending predates a real life event where Kirk Gibson actually hit a similar home run under surprisingly similar conditions (he didn’t get shot but he was an older player not expected to appear in the game which, while was actually in the playoffs was a game that did have considerable weight behind it). I’d recommend watching a youtube video on it. If you do want another heart wrenching joyful “sports” media to watch I’d recommend d the FREE SBNation the history of the Seattle Mariners. It’s a story of a team you don’t care about and makes you feel

[@charlize1253]

In a scene deleted from the theatrical version, Hobbs and the ballboy, Bobby Savoy, make a bat together (recall that in an earlier scene, Bobby asks Hobbs to show him how to make a bat like Wonderboy). That's the bat that Bobby gives him for the final home run - when Hobbs asks "bring me a winner, Bobby" - that's labeled "Savoy Special."

[@jethro1963]

That's the best scene in the movie the "Savoy Special" That's where men get misty with the big lump in the throat.

[@jethro1963]

@@jerryalexander8803 The poster was talking about this reaction. I made a mistake in posting before watching the reaction that I thought the broken bat scene was not in the reaction, thankfully it was.

[@porflepopnecker4376]

It's hardly an "awkward" moment.

[@AndyMatts44]

@@jerryalexander8803 - I've never seen that scene, ever. But it was pretty obvious what the bat was and how it came to be, so maybe that's why that scene was expendable in the original cut.

[@OldWestGunslinger-vs9mx]

The king's sword is broken. So the squire gives the king his own sword.

[@44excalibur]

When John Rhodes came on to the mound, it wasn't just because Pittsburgh wanted a lefty-on-lefty matchup. Roy looked at Rhodes and was thinking, “My God, that's me twenty years ago."

[@ginger4141]

As a woman, I have always loved this movie; loved the sport. I played softball in a league when I was senior in high school until I was in my mid-20's. The natural, and Field of Dreams are my top two.

[@oobrocks]

My favorite sports movie: it’s a mythical story and not to be taken literally. Incredible symbolism. Good beats evil and nice love saves us ❤🎉😊

[@jacobjones5269]

And yet, Ruth did all that, and more.. And thus the word Ruthian was invented..

[@vincentsaia6545]

Many of the things that happen in the movie are based on actual occurrences involving various ballplayers: In a 1931 whistle stop tour in Chattanooga, TN a 17-year-old girl-named Jackie Mitchell struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig on six straight pitches. 1950s Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Eddie Waitkis was shot in a hotel room by a crazed female fan (both survived). Shoeless Joe Jackson named his bats. Ted Williams supposedly was able to hit a batted ball directly at a fan heckling him and said that his greatest wish was to be able to walk down the street and hear people say, "There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived." Star Brooklyn Dodgers outfielder Pistol Pete Reiser seriously hampered his health and career with his habit of crashing into outfield walls (although he didn't die from it.) In a Braves-Dodgers game in 1946 Braves outfielder Bama Rowell shattered the Bulova clock on the Ebbits Field scoreboard. Bulova promised a free watch to anyone who shattered the clock and Rowell got his watch - in 1987! In the 1974 all-star game Reggie Jackson hit a home run ball that hit the top of (but did not shatter) the lights.

[@johno1765]

This movie was based on a novel by the same name written by Bernard Malamud. The Black Widow (played Barbara Hershey) lays out the theme at the beginning of the movie when she talked about Sir Lancelot and heroes and gods. Malamud was showing how we make legends of sports stars today as though they were the heroes and gods of yesteryear. When Malamud wrote the book, baseball was the number one sport in America so naturally he used that sport. Some of the incidents that happen to Roy Hobbs happened to real ballplayers. For example, Eddie Waitkus of the Chicago Cubs was shot by a female fan just like Hobbs was. And here's an interesting difference between the movie and the book. In the movie, Hobbs becomes the hero when he defies the gamblers and doesn't throw the game. In the book, Malamud sticks to the actual story of the Black Sox Scandal of 1919 when the team from Chicago, including star Shoeless Joe Jackson, threw the World Series. So he has Hobbs throw the game to show the fall of the hero. And at the end, a little kid even says, "Say it ain't so, Roy" the same way legend has it that a kid said to Shoeless Joe, "Say it ain't so, Joe."

[@txlyons2937]

I love the music in this film. Randy Newman's score here has to be one of the most heroic themes ever.

[@parkermills3328]

One of the best scores eve.......Sounding a lot like Aaron Copeland........

[@doberski6855]

Best part of your reaction, when Roy got shot. 'Did not see that coming!'🤣👍 The look on your faces, priceless. The Natural a timeless classic!

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

😁

[@lordjohnwharfin5397]

The movie is based on a real-life player named Eddie Waitkus. While playing for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1949 he was shot by a female fan who had become obsessed with him while he played for the Chicago Cubs. When he was traded to Philly, she took it as he was leaving her. When the Phillies visited Chicago, she lured him to a hotel room using an alias and shot him in the chest when he arrived. The bullet barely missed his heart. He nearly died, but he recovered and a year later and was named the Comeback Player of the Year. The woman never stood trial, but she was confined to a mental institution for several years.

[@deploribusrex4480]

I love it that both men and women totally 'get' this film and appreciate it. Not just a 'sports' film. Totally iconic and archetypal.

[@randallespinosa4264]

This movie was filmed in my hometown of Buffalo New York. I was fortunate enough to be an extra in the film, (crowd scenes). great experience and a classic film.

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

Awesome!

[@donjackson5522]

Buffalo and Durham NC have the two best minor league ballparks. If they were bigger they could pass for MLB stadiums.

[@mark-be9mq]

At the old "Rock Pile" downtown. I remember it. And the Parkside candy shop

[@Mister_Samsonite]

Easily one of the best baseball movies ever - definitely in my top 5.

[@pencilnecked1579]

Little better illustrates Glenn Close's saying they'll remember Hobbs regardless than Kirk Gibson's walk-off HR in game 1 of the 1988 World Series where he hobbled up to the plate before knocking one out of the park. Gibson was a decent/good player but he'll always be remembered for that moment.

[@JayStar-yj9pu]

I almost forgot, Randy Newman is the musician responsible for that award-winning score. Newman years later SINGS "I Love L.A." during a baseball game at the end of 'The Naked Gun'! Along with singing the opening song about Cleveland in... 'Major League'. Yes, I'm a true movie dork.

[@manueldeabreu1980]

Fun facts: Robert Redford played college baseball and that is him actually hitting those balls. Believe it or not, Robert Redford and Wilfred Brimley are the same age. The actor that was suppose to do the baseball announcer didn't show up for the recording. The director Barry Levinson stepped in to do the play by play.

[@deploribusrex4480]

Definitely looked like he knew what he was doing...especially the lean on the throw and the bend in the wrist and the Dale Murphy like ease with lolling the bat back and forth before the pitch :)

[@jamesschauer6078]

The first time I watched this movie I realized it was just like a Wagner Opera - the hero has his own musical theme, he has a great fall caused by a woman, he finds redemption through his long lost pure love.

[@regnorth8659]

you might consider another baseball movie "The Pride of the Yankees" from 1942 which was the Lou Gehrig story that the disease ALS was named as it is also called Lou Gehrigs disease...the cool thing about it too is that the real Babe Ruth is in the movie....

[@garrigaj1]

Check out Bull Durham with Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon. There is a famous mound scene that you have to experience. And for a great documentary about baseball, check out The Battered Bastards of Baseball.

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

We need to!

[@tim2024-df5fu]

@@ForceOfLightEntertainment Field of Dreams. The Natural and Bull Durham are a good baseball triology.

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

@@tim2024-df5fu Hear a lot of good things about Bull Durham!

[@ridl8006]

I love this movie.... when my mom went back to finish her teaching degree... she paid me $50 to write her final essay... (which I did)... I used "the Natural" to write about the art of coaching and teaching student-athletes... she passed and graduated (and her professor was cool about the whole "ghost writer" thing)... BTW... I went on to finish my PhD... ❤you mom...

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

Congratulations!!

[@barkingsquirrel1751]

THE SCORE OF THIS COMPOSED BY RANDY NEWMAN ( ALSO WROTE "I LOVE L.A. !!!")

[@jethro1963]

And infamously "Short People"

[@PML78]

I believe he did Major League as well... hell... he has a hand in so many movies

[@matthewgallagher1761]

I played on back to back championship softball teams in the Performing Arts League in NYC with Sam Green, who is standing behind Redford as he swats HR's in the batting cage, and who gets thrown out at second when the Knights are going bad. He told us that all of those HR's were really hit by Redford. And this is a 5 out of 5 movie. The best baseball movie ever made - with the heart, soul and mythology of the game. Then "Bad News Bears," "Field of Dreams," "Major League," and "Bull Durham."

[@toastnjam7384]

The novel this was based on was inspire by a true story. 19-year-old Ruth Ann Steinhagen had a huge cush on Chicago Cubs' first baseman Eddie Waitkus. So bad was her crush that she set a place for Waitkus, whom she'd never met, at the family dinner table. She turned her bedroom into a shrine to him and put his photo under her pillow. After the 1948 season, Waitkus was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. When that happened, she decided to kill him. She shot him when the Phillies played in Chicago. He survived and she was judged to be insane and spent nearly three years in a state hospital. He recovered and played a few more years.

[@donjackson5522]

One of my all time favorite movies. How lucky is Robert Redford to be able to pull off portraying the young Roy Hobbs while actually being the same age as Pops! All while having three Hollywood top actresses (Barbara Hershey, Glenn Close & Kim Basinger) all fall for him. Michelle, very impressed with your baseball knowledge. You must be a fan. Any chance you could add the movie 61* to the list? Movie about Roger Maris, behind the baseball side of the story, made by Billy Crystal.

[@mark-be9mq]

Good choice.

[@asterix7842]

It’s hard to overstate the importance of baseball to American culture before the rise in popularity of American football. If you’re curious about the role of baseball in the formation of 20th century society, I’d highly recommend Ken Burns’ Baseball documentary.

[@chadbennett7873]

⚾♥ I grew up playing baseball. It was something my father and I shared, and he taught me fundamentals that allowed me to play high level championship softball until I was 56. I started going to major league baseball games in 1961 when the Angels were first formed, and have been a fan since. I enjoy other sports, but I think my heart has 216 stitches. Several of the things that occur in the film were based on things that really happened in baseball history. Eddie Waitkus was shot, but Billy Jurges was also shot by Violet Valli, a showgirl with whom he was supposedly romantically involved. Being a baseball historian, this is probably my all-time favorite baseball movie. I always enjoy your reactions! Well done! New Sub!

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

Thanks!

[@James_Ford4815]

Mr.Baseball starting Tom Selleck mustache

[@kevinmoore2929]

Mr Baseball and Bull Durham are the top two baseball movies IGNORED by reacters.

[@JayStar-yj9pu]

Wilford Brimley played the Manager 'Pop' and at the time was best known for two things: 1) Playing 'Blair' in 'The Thing'. 2) that legendary mustache!

[@moeball740]

(Producers looking at a script for an upcoming film the studio is planning to release) Producer #1: "Say, I've been looking at the screenplay for this new film the studio's planning to do. It describes one of the characters as a 'crotchety old geezer'. " Producer #2: "Get Wilford Brimley's agent on the phone immediately. He'd be perfect for this part!" (I imagine this conversation happened a lot in the 1980s and 1990s, Wilford got plenty of roles in those days)

[@JayStar-yj9pu]

@@moeball740 I actually formed an abstract link between the Tom Cruise movie The Firm and the The Thing as Brimley appears in the John Grisham adaptation as head of security for the corrupt law practice. There's a scene in The Firm when Wilford pursues Cruise who plasters himself against a ceiling, much as The Thing did during the blood test sequence...upside down. Interesting watches. 😎

[@laudanum669]

He is pretty well known as Ben Luckett in the movie "Cocoon" and his quote "You won't ever grow old and you won't ever die". He was also on one of my favorite episodes of "Seinfeld" as the US Postmaster General.

[@JayStar-yj9pu]

@@laudanum669 yeah, The Lost Boys repeated that Peter Pan sentiment after Cacoon did. "You'll never grow old Micheal, And you'll never die!". Never Never Land - David, 'Kiefer Sutherland'

[@christopheryochum3602]

Guys! The first time I saw this, I thought the whole idea of shooting the main character was just a vehicle that provided the rationale for an old rookie. Later I read that it was based on a true story. Ruth Ann Steinhagen was crushing on Eddie Waitkus, the Chicago Cubs' handsome first baseman. She would actually set a place for him at the dinner table. She also turned her bedroom into a shrine to him, and put his photo under her pillow. Steinhagen checked into a room at a hotel where he was staying and invited him to her room. "We're not acquainted, but I have something of importance to speak to you about," she wrote in a note to him after a game at Wrigley Field. It worked. Waitkus arrived at her room. After he sat down, Steinhagen walked to a closet, said, 'I have a surprise for you,' then turned with the rifle she had hidden there and shot him in the chest." Glad you mentioned the score. It's a masterpiece by Randy Newman.

[@markmurphy558]

I never thought of Thr Natural as a baseball movie. It was an allegory about life's choices, both good and bad, and the important things in life.

[@1953jazzman]

The movie is constructed as a fable, echoing an era in America when we still had heroes..... and many of them were sports stars. All the elements of a classic fable are here! The music, this wonderful score was composed by none other than Randy Newman! You may know of him through the Toy Story films.

[@thepayne7862]

Love this movie and funny story for when I was a kid involving this movie. I was 6 years old when this movie came out, I saw the movie on VHS,. I had watched it like two days before my first either baseball or tee-ball game, I don't remember how long after the movie came out.. I got a hit and it was pretty good one but i ran in slow motion. I thought i was supposed to run in slow motion because that's what he did in the movie when he got a big hit. People were wondering what I was doing and my mom had to explain that I had just watched The Natural.

[@JayStar-yj9pu]

One more shadowy connection I've discovered: Roy's volatile office meetings with the co-owners of the Knight's can later be seen played out when Captain America visits Robert Redford's "front office" character (Alexander Pierce) in 'The Winter Soldier'

[@vincentsaia6545]

One of my all-time favorite movies. I worked at a movie theater when it was released and I took my parents wbo were also big baseball fans to see it and they both loved it.

[@skyraider1656]

Did you notice that Memo was dressed in black because she was bad luck, and Glenn close’s character was always in white because she represented good. When she stood up in the sunlight she looked angelic with the sun at her back like she was heaven sent. I’ve always loved this movie.

[@carlchiles1047]

I can’t be superstitious about anything for a combination of things..my family got here from England in 1646..and 130 years later, we declared our independence…and we knew the founding fathers..most we got along with..the Adam’s not so much..in 1854 my great-grandfather left Kentucky with a team of mules and $20,000 and went to Lincoln, Nebraska to help start a freight company much like the FedEx of the old west, Wells Fargo..born in Kansas..back in those days..it was the Old West..places like Abilene, Dodge City and Wichita were rail hubs that sent cattle to Kansas City and Chicago..after cattle drives from Texas took 3 months..and legendary lawmen Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson were deputy marshals in Wichita..later..the man who invented basketball , James Naismith became the first coach at Kansas..and is buried there with his wife in Lawrence..1939..the original Ten Rules of Basketball are behind glass there in a building beside Allen Field House..Amelia Earhart’s house in Atchison is 20 miles from my town of Holton..so my family has touched history over the years..my dad was with General Patton and I went,to Vietnam when General Patton’s son was,there..

[@DontrelleRoosevelt]

I realized, after watching a lot of his films, that I almost always like all of this director's movies!

[@Firefax]

On my mantlepiece I have a Roy Hobbs autographed baseball. Sony Pictures put out a collector set to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the movie. Included in the set was an autographed baseball and an autographed Roy Hobbs baseball card. I don't have the card as I came across the baseball in a thrift store. I paid $3.19 for it. I know it's just a martketing gimmick, but it's a reminder of a truly great baseball movie. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

Thanks!!

[@rickc661]

My fave sports flick is actually an. NFL TV special. ' Brians Song ' pretty much true story, with actual team players & video. ( and my all time fave football player )

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

That movie tore me to pieces as a middle school kid!

[@jamminjohn]

The Natural #1 and Major League #2 for me

[@lalou4617]

Baseball has many categories of movies. The Natural is a baseball fable. It mixed reality with fantasy and there is usually a moral to the story. Movies like Major League and Bull Durham are baseball comedies. They make lite of the game but try to keep the baseball real. The Sandlot is a nostalgic look at a kids look at baseball and the meaning it held for them. The Sandlot, along with the Natural are my two favorite baseball movies. If you react to the Sandlot, if you already haven't, you'll be reacting to my childhood. P. S. If you think back to the Natural, when the writer Max Mercy was on the train with the Wammer, he was reading about an Olympic athlete who was shot with a silver bullet by a mystery woman and it followed the shooting of football player earlier under the same circumstances. The papers were calling her the black widow. P.S. If you have not reacted to the Sandlot, please do. P.S. again. You two ladies are growing on me. I think I'll subscribe.

[@natalieforceoflightenterta8857]

We love the sandlot!! Thanks for being here! ❤

[@Belleplainer]

The Natural is definitely in the running for "movie based on a book that is wildly different from the book". The story in the movie largely tracks the book until the end, but the tone throughout both is very different, which sets up the respective endings quite well. Even at its darkest, the film doesn't come close to the book.

[@alanberg5575]

My favorite sports-themed movie of all time!! By the way, I'm sixty-six, have seen this movie I don't know how many times, and get choked up EVERY time!!

[@ThistleAndSea]

Good one, Ladies! Yeah, this is a special one. Love it! Glad you enjoyed it too. Thanks for sharing this one. 🙂 And you are both looking lovely as always!

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

Thank you!

[@ice-iu3vv]

for a real-life clip that is as close as you will get to someone hitting out the lights in a game, watch "reggie jackson hits the light tower at 1971 all-star game." it's possible that this occurrence was an inspiration for the movie writers.

[@unclelarry3207]

Nice reaction ladies. Go easy on Kim Basinger. She just did a great job bringing Memo to life, that's all! 😊 She's probably a really nice, beautiful woman. ❤Thanks for sharing. Lots of fun.

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

Thank you!!

[@AndyMatts44]

Memo Paris was a high-end jersey-chaser. She dated Bump Bailey because he was the star. She was never "dating" the owner or the rich bookie, Gus Sands. Gus made sure her material needs were taken care of and she did his bidding to get the hooks into the biggest stars on the team, which would either give Gus an "in" to pay them off (remember, they mentioned that they were paying Bump), or possibly become a distraction if they were unwilling.

[@cliffchristie5865]

I think they were hinting pretty heavily that, at least occasionally, Gus was "in Roy's shoes".

[@AndyMatts44]

@@cliffchristie5865 - No, at least, I don't think so. When Gus is pretending to be all concerned about Roy and his relationship, that was Roy's way of telling him "Give me a break, we're not that close." There was nothing that implied Memo was sleeping with Gus. Gus is pure mercenary. I'm not aware of any interpretations, of the book or the movie, where she's sleeping with Gus - except for these two reactors. But that's the beauty of a story or movie, everyone interprets it a bit differently.

[@bruinbro23]

One of my favorites, all players want is to get ladies fan of them, so seeing she knew how great he was more than him as teens, so like Rocky, needed her happy watching, and hearing her and son are there was all he needed. That's why is a favorite, the 3 at end, happy, fans will remember that HR rest of life and tell their kids about it, so he got his wish, and family! A 4.5 for me. Football, Rudy, Baseball this, Basketball, Hoosiers have to be watched. If you liked Kevin in Field of Dreams, give movie For the Love of the Game a chance, MLB story, older pitcher closed to retirement, meets a woman, o has a teen daughter, so romance and him trying to end good. Both looking as beautiful as ever, knowing baseball makes me love you both more!!

[@thunderstruck5484]

Great movie! The look on y’all’s faces when he got shot! Had me laughing pretty good, great reaction, thanks

[@natalieforceoflightenterta8857]

Thank you! 🙏 ❤

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

😂💚

[@vincentsaia6545]

35 is considered old for a baseball player, especially in that era.

[@ice-iu3vv]

even 26-27 is way too old for an unknown to be taken seriously. on the other hand, a small percentage of major leaguers play until their early 40s.

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

And especially as a rookie!

[@JayStar-yj9pu]

I always wondered if Tarantino named Michael Madsen "Mr. Blonde" in Reservoir Dogs because of his FATAL ATTRACTION to Kim Basinger in The Natural?! Madsen BTW was "Bump" Bailey! FYI: Glenn Close co-starred in Fatal Attraction. Which basically is what Barbara Hershey was to Roy Hobbs in THIS film! Hollywood is funny like that

[@eddie11214]

Miracle, Remember the Titans, and The Rookie… are sports related movies that are much more than sports. You’ll like all 3 for sure…

[@Howiex-is8gq]

Other good sports movies Bad news bears- kids Slapshot-paul newman Sideout Days of thunder- tom cruise Kingpin- woody Harrelson.

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

Thanks!

[@moonrich3492]

A corked bat had nothing to do with his batting practice smashes. The pitcher was basically lobbing it in. Batters who cork their bats do so to retain their preferred length and shape, but at a reduced weight. A batter can wait longer on a pitch and still be able to get around on it due to its lighter weight -- Ted Williams emphasized how important it is to wait on a pitch. Also, faster bat speed imparts more energy to the ball. The cork itself doesn't add any energy, it reduces it. As the bat strikes the ball both are momentarily deformed, most especially the ball. The ball leaves the bat before any residual rebound of the surface wood due to the minor compression of the cork which is restricted by the hardness of the wood.

[@JayStar-yj9pu]

So people understand, ALL movies are interconnected!! Especially by genre. Sports films from the 70s and 80s are excellent examples. Slap Shot, The Longest Yard, The Natural, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams and Major League can be linked with certain details

[@jollyrodgers7272]

This soundtrack is epic - beyond 'superhero'. The attention of the Crazy Lady (Barbara Hershey) is NOT what any man should want (and nobody ever sees it coming). For more baseball fun, check out THE BAD NEWS BEARS (1976), BULL DURHAM (1988), FILED OF DREAMS (1989), MAJOR LEAGUE (1989), for starters.

[@tonypassaretti]

Fantastic score and cinematography. Lived in Buffalo several years and I loved it. It is a great city. It was filmed in that beautiful city.

[@3dbadboy1]

Many people liken Kirk Gibson's 1988 Game Winning home run to the one at the end of this game. He was struggling with injuries in both knees and wasn't supposed to play in the game. I pinch hit in the 9th inning, barely able to stand and essentially hit a one-handed home run and it completely deflated the opposing team and the Dodgers won the World Series.

[@lawrencefine5020]

Try 8 Men Out. (The darker side of baseball) Fun reaction.

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

Thank you!!

[@unklebacon44]

Brings back memories. It was filmed here in Buffalo, New York....I have friends who went to the park as extras.

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

Cool!

[@ice-iu3vv]

several connections to baseball great ted williams in this film. redford's number 9 uniform number, redford's obvious copying of williams' swing, which makes sense because ted was robert's favorite player. also related is the wish that "when i walk down the street people will say there goes the best there ever was". although with ted's wish, it was specifically "hitter" that he wanted to be known as, not best player. the "savoy special" bat was sold at auction in 1999 for just a couple hundred dollars. interest in it was low because it wasnt a part of major league baseball history.

[@jethro1963]

Ted was the greatest hitter ever. Look at his stats and then realize he missed five of his best years serving as a jet pilot in WWII and Korea. They don't make 'em like that any more.

[@tim2024-df5fu]

This movie, Bull Durham and Field of Dreams are my favorite baseball movies. There are other good baseball movies but those three really capture the magic of baseball.

[@DWQJVB]

This and Field of Dreams are not baseball movies

[@jonsher7682]

A Hollywood-twisted telling of a great novel that confronts life as it is is, with Hobbs not a hero but a conflicted man who not only takes money to lose the final game, he negotiates to get even more. The Natural was the debut novel for Bernard Malamud, who was not one to shy away from the ugliness in the world. In the book, the woman in the stands is not someone from Hobbs' past but instead a striking woman who draws his interest -- but only until he finds out that she is not only a mother but at age 33, a grandmother. Hobbs then ditches her for the same character as portrayed in the movie. The book is how man's capacity to be heroic is too often undermined by his lust for money, power and women. That Hollywood tells the opposite tale says something of the unwillingness of major studios to take on risks. Malamud was likely influenced by the Black Sox scandal of 1919 and the real life shooting of a MLB player by a woman he had broken up with earlier.

[@James_Ford4815]

The Texas Rangers stadium plays that theme music after every home run , i think they been playing it for 30+ years now. Most teams have electronic music after home runs so the Rangers one always stands out if you get chance to hear it on TV. Usually it's hard to pick up on TV but every once in a while the cheering in the stadium won't be too crazy loud and you'll hear it.

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

Oh that’s cool!

[@JayStar-yj9pu]

Curious how many people associate a movie about 'magical wood' with Joe Don Baker's appearance as The Whammer considering he is best known for carrying a 2x4 in the original 'Walking Tall'

[@Frank_E_Scialdone]

Of all the great baseball movies this is the one that I would watch before anything else. Second would be field of dreams… So here is the deal about this film. It was filmed in Buffalo, New York. I am from Rochester, New York. The stadium that they filmed in was the Buffalo War memorial… In 1986 I went there to see a football game.… It was really cool to be in that stadium. It's like a big gray dinosaur. The film producers scouted many places until they found that one. It really fit the look of a 1940s. The scene in the candy shop is also in Buffalo New York. It was supposed to be Chicago in the film. They put up those high-rise gurneys to represent the Chicago subway system. The candy shop is real. I don't know if it is still there. I had a few friends who went to Buffalo State University. And they were extras in the crowds at the ballpark. He kept mentioning the music. That music is synonymous with baseball now. It is played at many ballpark still.

[@mark-be9mq]

Why didn't he write her. Shame (as Keri Smith talks abt) was powerful force personally & publicly then. He knows connection to the public scandal, shot in the room of a very sordid woman, made him damaged goods that tarnishes anyone associated with him. That & it all shattered everything he thought his life was about. Great film.

[@philmullineaux5405]

Pro tip....I could be wrong, but the 2 old managers, got into acting by taking cattle calls, and never had a day of acting class or training, in their life! 😮😮😮 Now those are naturals!

[@moeball740]

Many have tried to capture the essence of Babe Ruth and his larger than life style. Joe Don Baker as "The Whammer" (everybody knows this is really essentially the Babe) did a pretty good job of portraying the legend here.

[@binxbolling]

Based on a short story or novel in which the hero strikes out at the end proving that redemption doesn't exist. Parallels the poem Casey At The Bat.

[@TD-mg6cd]

Baseball and a powerful romance: FOR LOVE OF THE GAME with Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston. ⚾ A more dramatic and moving ending than THE NATURAL.

[@bettybaby63]

This is my fave baseball flick. Followed very closely by league of their own. But Redford….oh la la. I pretty much feel that way about all of his movies. 😊

[@zenarcher9633]

This is a great movie, given depth by some top class actors. I'd rate this up there with "Bull Durham" as a top class Baseball film, this one shows the mythic nature of baseball and Bull Durham shows the gritty reality of struggling down in the minors.

[@StillJaded_07145]

No-one else will recommend The Heavenly Kid but... ...you *should* watch it anyway! Those *crazy* 80's!

[@bmw128racer]

Trivia: Wilford Brimley (Coach Pop Fisher) is only two years older that Robert Redford (Roy Hobbs). 😮

[@ChrisEllisMedia]

BTW: In the book that the movie is based on Roy Hobbs takes the money and actually "throws" the last game. Would've been a much different movie if they followed it. I prefer the heroic ending. Roy Hobbs & Elvis Presley had a thing for lighting bolts. #tcb⚡️

[@danny619wrestlefan6]

Yes baseball is special I grew up playing it & so did my brother

[@tonypassaretti]

Try Bang the Drum Slowly. Great performance by Robert DeNiro and features Michael Moriarty, the best D.A. in Law and Order history.

[@tedoyle99]

The Natural is so good

[@mikeeckel2807]

It is interesting that so many of the good "Sports Movies" seem to be about baseball.

[@MrKeychange]

This is probably there with Field Of Dreams in a tie for my 2nd favorite baseball movie. To me, nothing is as good as the original Bad News Bears. It's SO good.

[@markoconnor995]

The crazy thing about this movie is it's actually loosely based on a true story.

[@myrdozer]

Field of Dreams and the Natural 1-2 or 2-1, then 42, then Eight Men Out, then Major League for 1-5. Angels in the Outfield and Bull Durham come next. Pride of the Yankees.

[@custardflan]

The question is when Hobbs shows up years later is he really that good or is it something magical that has happened to him to save Pop and the other Knights.

[@custardflan]

Changing sports, the greatest basketball movie ever made is Hoosiers, which stars Barbara Hershey, the woman in black.

[@AbA_DBAA23]

Great reaction! I highly recommend another baseball classic "The Bad News Bears" from 1976.

[@jethro1963]

I have to laugh at reviewers who grew up after the 90s and they can't believe the Bad News Bears. I lived it, at the same time as the movie. That movie has choirboys compared to what we did.

[@AbA_DBAA23]

@@jethro1963 I know, right! There's not enough reactions to that movie.

[@witchland]

So true! Definitely not a movie that could ever be made nowadays! Tanner would be quite a shock to these reactors.

[@emmitbrown5631]

Kim B. is an all-time beauty! ❤

[@edmorganjr.3604]

Other than the Sandlot, the Natural is my favorite Baseball movie.

[@tstumpf75]

35:45 Roy is basically facing himself.. that pitcher for the other team sorta represents what he was.. a young fireballer left hander...

[@markminter6312]

Top 5 sports movie of all time in my book.

[@vincentsaia6545]

"Rednose" and "rumbpot" referred to Sam's excessive drinking.

[@T-Rex_007]

❤ Ugh ACOLYTE commercial prior to your video starting. Anyway this is one of those mythological movies despite Babe Ruth being portrayed in it and it all just works everything in it. !! Even as a kid when I watched for first time I knew it was not realistic, but you are left with wonderment as a little boy dreaming of playing in the big leagues. When he got shot, I was like I thought this was a baseball movie and shocked me as a kid too. Some pep talk comparing losing to all those diseases and completely forgot all about that 😂. Happy you liked this one ladies and did a wonderful review. It is a re-watchable film you can pick up more on in reappeared viewings

[@philmullineaux5405]

Robert also did the old school movie, A River Runs Through It

[@ChrisEllisMedia]

Michelle: "I did not see that coming." Creepy Eye guy: "Eye did!"

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

😂😂

[@deploribusrex4480]

Robert Redford is the best. Positive masculinity.

[@matthewcostello3530]

Wilford Brimley's former job was as Howard Hughs' bodyguard

[@dlracer2]

WOOOOOOWWW! My favorite movie! Had no idea you existed until you had such meaningful commentary of WDWPRO’s channel! So excited to start watching this right now!

[@dlracer2]

You need to check out Swiss Army Man next. I can give you insights onto all the symbolism and depth in both films.

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

Glad you found us!

[@mikeshoe74]

Great baseball movie!!...and happy they casted Robert Redford, it made all the girls I've dated over the years more than happy to watch the film with me :)

[@Bert2144]

I played pro ball for nine years. This is one of my favorite movies.

[@ForceOfLightEntertainment]

Oh wow!

[@garyburley1960]

the superman bias is real, the writer wanted to craft a story around mythology. The glowing stump that the bat is crafted from is the excaliber myth. roy hobbs is King Arthur. his career starts or ends each time with a godlike event of lightning as he is the chosen one. Bernhard Malamud wrote this during the depression as a story to lift peoples spirits, a superhero before superheroes when only myth described such people

[@philmullineaux5405]

A couple other old school sports movies to watch, one is with Matt Damon, and one is with or maybe also same movie, Shia Labueff. Also horse movies, Sea Biscuit, and Secretariat! And of True stories Ford vs Ferrari, Rudy and Miracle, Remember the Titans and We Are Marshall!