Have I written about my love for baseball? my love for Robert Redford? "The Natural" delivers both and, in my humble opinion, is the best baseball movie I've ever seen. "The Natural" has all the elements of great drama, melodrama, morality play, what-have-you: good vs. evil, true love vs. seduction; promises vs. betrayal; purity vs dishonesty. It's a fairytale story of redemption.
Whether you've seen it once or dozens of times (like me) it grabs you and won't let you go. Roy Hobbe's faded golden boy, haggard, aging, aching but still dreaming the dream. The evil Memo, a platinum blonde in black. The steadfast Iris, a soft blonde bathed in a halo of light. Pop Fisher, the old time manager who wants only to win the Pennant before he retires, betting the future of his team in the process.
It's simple, really. The good are eventually rewarded for their patience, hard work and unwavering loyalty. The wicked are punished. It's a depression-era story with a depression era happy ending. Hey! What more can you ask for?
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