<P> In a lengthy New Yorker article on baseball movies, Roger Angell pointed out that Malamud had intentionally treated Hobbs' story as a baseball version of the King Arthur legend, which came across in the film as a bit heavy - handed, "portentous and stuffy," and that the book's ending should have been kept . He also cited a number of excellent visuals and funny bits, and noted that Robert Redford had prepared so carefully for the role, modeling his swing on that of Ted Williams, that "you want to sign him up". </P> <P> The Natural was nominated for four Academy Awards: Actress in a Supporting Role (Glenn Close), Cinematography (Caleb Deschanel), Art Direction (Mel Bourne, Angelo P. Graham, Bruce Weintraub), and Music (Randy Newman). Kim Basinger was also nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress . </P> <P> The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: </P> <Ul> <Li> 2003: AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains: <Ul> <Li> Roy Hobbs--Nominated Hero </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> 2005: AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores--Nominated </Li> <Li> 2006: AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers--Nominated </Li> <Li> 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10: <Ul> <Li> Nominated Sports Film </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul>

Who played roy hobbs son in the natural