42

Up until this film, probably the best film about Jackie Robinson was the one in which the star played himself. This wasn't a bad film, though it seemed very over-idealized. Finally, after all these years, Hollywood has finally put a nice budget into making a lovely tribute to this baseball great. However, and this isn't a complaint, it is NOT a film about the entire life of Robinson--just a tiny portion. Of course, it's clearly the most important part--his career in the minor leagues and his first year in major league baseball. It does not discuss how his career was unfortunately cut short by diabetes--as was his life. But the movie makers clearly couldn't do EVERYTHING--and they were wise to narrow the focus. But as for me, I'd like to see a sequel--and what happened to Robinson AFTER the 1947 season. In fact, when the film ends, you see that Dodgers win the National League pennant--but you don't learn that they lost the World Series to the Yankees (that WOULD have been anticlimactic).

So what did I think of the film? Well, I thought it was terrific--and I really appreciated how the film tried to get the history correct (with a few tiny exceptions). Ben Chapman (the manager of the Phillies) really was a racist jerk. Robinson did, for a time, live in Sanford, Florida (that's a bit ironic). And, the film tried very hard to get the look right. I also appreciated seeing Harrison Ford try to stretch his range--uglying himself up and changing his voice so much to try to adequately portray Branch Rickey. All in all, a very, very inspiring and touching film--one even non-baseball players could love.

Greetings again from the darkness. After some soul searching, I have decided to turn off the critical side of my brain and concentrate on what is good about this movie. As a baseball and movie fanatic, a bit of trepidation creeps in when the two come together. However, this really isn't a baseball movie, though the story focuses on what may be the most critical turning point in baseball history. In fact, this turning point was much bigger than the American Pasttime ... it was also key to the Civil Rights Movement. The movie is a reminder of how different things could have been with the wrong man rather than the right one ... Jackie Robinson.

Writer/Director Brian Helgeland (s/p for L.A. Confidential and Mystic River) takes a look at what occurred in 1945-47, when Brooklyn Dodgers President and GM Branch Rickey (played by Harrison Ford) made the business decision to integrate baseball. We see his selection process ... Roy Campanella "too nice", Satchel Paige "too old". He settles on Jackie Robinson after their infamous 3 hour meetings where Rickey confronts Robinson with his need for a black player "with the guts NOT to fight back".

Chadwick Boseman portrays Jackie Robinson as a man thoroughly in love with his wife Rachel (played by Nicole Beharie), and one who says he just wants to "be a ballplayer", while at the same time taking pride in his world-changing role. We see his evolution from his stint as shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs of Negro Leagues to his time with the Dodgers' AAA minor league team in Montreal and finally to his introduction to the Major Leagues in 1947.

This is an earnest and sincere movie that removes the complexities of the times and the main characters. Much of it is portrayed as good guys versus bad guys. The good guys are really good and the bad guys are really bad. Alan Tudyk has the unenviable task of portraying Philadelphia Phillies manager Ben Chapman, who famously unleashed a verbal assault of vile racism on Robinson. Mr. Rickey credited Chapman's small-mindedness as the single biggest factor in unifying the Dodger team around Robinson. The other famous moment given time in the movie is when beloved shortstop Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black) put his arm around Robinson, shushing the Cincinnati fans. Of course as a baseball fan, I enjoyed the all too brief antics of Brooklyn manager Leo Durocher (Christopher Meloni) whose place in the Robinson story would have been much more profound had he not succumbed to the weakness of the flesh (so to speak).

Filmmaker Helgeland provides a tale of morality and social change, and provides a glimpse at the character and strength required by those involved. The story has much more to do with demonstrating how the times began to change than it does with how Jackie Robinson, an unpolished ballplayer but superior athlete, transformed himself into a perennial all-star and league MVP. And that's as it should be. As Rickey stated, acceptance will only occur if the world is convinced Robinson is a fine gentleman and a great baseball player. That burden must have weighed heavily at times, but it's very clear that Robinson was the right man at the right time.

42 is a movie about that particular black man, who entered the league for the very first time, challenged everyone, including his teammates and won. Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) became the pioneer athlete to stand alongside the white sportsmen on the field when segregation & racial discrimination was a "rule" in United States. However, film does not actually follow the whole story of Jackie, it more tells a story of racial revolution in baseball, which escalated after one bold decision of Brooklyn Dodgers executive - Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford). Branch was the first manager to hire a black man, a talented black man who ran fast, who could catch any ball and who could bring hundreds of black spectators to the field. And since every of them, regardless their skin color paid money to see Robinson playing, this new transfer to the team could be successful.

Brian Helgeland wrote a pretty interesting and engaging script, with really good dialogues (well, he has a great experience of it from LA Confidential and Mystic River). Even though there is no much tension in the movie, it still makes you enjoy every minute of it. At first I was not comfortable with the idea of racial discrimination, because I've seen so many good movies on this topic, and it just makes me feel bored. Most of them look like each other much. I believe that any film that regards this topic, shall be very much emotional, which helps director to deliver a message successfully. The last film that affected on me, and for sure on every person, was The Help - a masterful presentation of historic segregation. But 42 does not arise rave emotions, it instead provokes great satisfaction. That is why 42 is an above average film.

Picking totally unfamiliar actor, Chadwick Boseman, for lead role, which actually presents the whole idea of the movie, is a risky choice by director. But Jackie was exactly as it should be. Chad delivers a passionate, evolving character who struggles with his emotions and almost every person surrounding him. His convincing performance is really worth to call potentially one of the best performances this year.

And Harrison Ford, it's been years I've not seen him acting well. In fact, the portrait of Branch Rickey is one of the best performances he'd ever had. Even though Mr. Ford gets older, he can make Brooklyn Dodgers story unbelievably interesting.

As for the rest of cast, everyone is good. Maybe not the best actors you can imagine, but they make a good team and there is nothing we can reject about their performances.

An well done depiction of the struggles Jackie Robinson went through to just play baseball. I think all the casting was well done -especially Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford. It was hard to see the discrimination then and knowing how it continued for many years - but that was the time of my parents and it was true to the time (so sad). I think Harrison Ford should get an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor - it is such a good performance. I totally forgot who the actor was and got into the personality of Branch Rickey - it was all about the best for the baseball team - but he had a heart too for his players. It was fun to see J.R.Knight in a film again - I have always liked him. I liked the music (I grew up with it) and the costuming was accurate. The sets were well done and the language - that is the way it was - not tolerated now thank heaven. Jackie Robinson was a man of honor and strength - an admirable man.

I did not expect a movie like this to be so good!

The acting was brilliant. Chad Boseman as Jackie Robinson did fantastic job playing his character. You can feel the turmoil building up inside him every time some racist moron starts to provoke him. Most of the time, I felt so much sympathy for him.

Harrison Ford should be nominated for an Academy Award. From beginning to end, he was spot on. He's one of the only people in the movie who actually treats Jackie like a human being from the beginning.

The other actors were good too.

With almost every sports movie, you can pretty much tell were the story was going. I will admit it was kind of predictable, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless.

The racism. Oh god. I understand that the film was set in the 40s and that's how it was back then, but the racism in this film angered me to no end. I could not stand some of these characters, especially one that stood out as the biggest piece of garbage in this entire film. I can't blame the filmmakers for that; in fact, if they did sugarcoat the language, I don't think the film would have been as strong. I guess the only good thing that comes out of it is how it helps build Jackie's character. You could feel the rage building up inside him.

I guess the only problem I have is how there was not as much baseball as there should have been in a movie about a baseball player. The gaming scenes were a lot of fun to watch but I felt that they were a bit too short.

Overall, the acting was great, the characters were great, and the story was great. If you're a sports fan, 42 is film worth checking out.