Which film is about Roy Hobbs and his boyhood dream of becoming a baseball superstar?

The clever 1984 film that is about Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) and his boyhood dream of becoming a baseball superstar is titled "The Natural". "The Natural" is an American sports film based on Bernard Malamud's 1952 novel of the same name. It was directed by Barry Levinson and produced by Mark Johnson. The screenplay was written by Roger Towne and Phil Dusenberry. The key stars are Robert Redford, Glenn Close, and Robert Duvall. Like the book, this film recounts actual experiences from Roy Hobbs's life. TriStar Pictures provided the original film distribution.

The film's story is straightforward and sincere. On the way to a tryout with the Chicago Cubs, young baseball phenom Roy Hobbs (Redford) is shot by an unstable lady (Harriet Bird played by Barbara Hershey). After 16 years, Hobbs returns to pro baseball as a rookie. He is playing for the last-place New York Knights. Despite early arguments with his manager, Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley), Hobbs becomes one of the best players in the league, and the Knights start winning. But this upsets the Judge (Robert Prosky), their owner, who wants Hobbs to lose games, not win. Hobbs uses a great "natural" baseball talent and has a professional baseball career which spans several decades.

The film was a great success both critically and commercially. It is a reflective film that was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress (Glenn Close).