Roger Ebert's review
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:07Read transcript
- Ebert gave the film two stars and asked why they did not just make a baseball picture and why The Natural had to be turned into idolatry; the hosts stumble over pronouncing the word.
- The critique is called a bad one: idolatry is part of baseball fandom, especially for a kid picking a favorite player, since hitting a baseball is the hardest thing in sports and the game is a myth-making machine; Philip Roth's Great American Novel and Bull Durham's existential dread are cited, and the corniness is part of the fun.