42: A História de uma Lenda

You probably think this film is completely focused on the story of Jackie Robinson. That is definitely not the case, as this film finds balance between the story of Robinson, baseball, and segregation. And this film succeeds in depicting all three aspects to bring a powerful, heartwarming, humorous film. The casting is great. Every actor fits his or her character perfectly. Harrison Ford does an amazing job portraying his character with his no- nonsense humorous attitude. He has a good chance of grabbing an academy award nomination for this roll. This is one of those movies that takes you for an emotional thrill ride. You feel for the Robinson. You want him to win. And you rejoice when he does. So sit back and let the film drag you in; it's worth your time.

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.

I'm a big baseball fan, so I was excited to see this movie as soon as I heard about it. The release date of April 12th coinciding with the start of the baseball season, as well as Jackie Robinson Day on April 15th (when every MLB player sports #42 in his honor), felt appropriate and was clever marketing.

In case you live under a rock and/or you happened to go to one of the few elementary schools that didn't require its students to write a report on a famous black person for Black History Month, Jackie Robinson was the first African American Major League Baseball player, who played first and second base with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 through 1956. After doing a little research about Robinson, I discovered that one detail that was left out in those grade school reports was that he wasn't really the first black player in the majors, only of the of the modern era. What I mean by "the modern era" is after the Negro Leagues, which existed for about 60 years, starting in the 1880s. There were actually some black players in the major leagues before the Negro League started. However, this does not make Robinson's accomplishments any less impressive.

I have a whole new respect for Jackie Robinson after actually seeing and hearing the racism that he had to endure. In one scene, a Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher even hits him in the head. (Speaking of which, it made me wonder what the hell took so long for helmets to be made mandatory.) Some of the behavior and racial slurs coming from the crowd, coaches from other teams, and umpires was truly disgusting to watch for someone who was brought up in a generation where it's no longer socially acceptable to be blatantly racist. Sure, racism is unfortunately still alive and well in America, but it exists on a more underground level, compared to 60 years ago when it was considered the norm.

Newcomer Chadwick Boseman did a fantastic job. I'm glad the producers cast an unknown because it made it easier to believe that he really was Jackie Robinson. It would be cool to see him be recognized with an Oscar nomination, but even more importantly, I hope this will be the start of a long career. The supporting actors were great as well, particularly Lucas Black as Pee Wee Reese, the Dodgers shortstop who supported and stood up for Robinson the most during his rough first years on the team, and Alan Tudyk as Ben Chapman, the unapologetically racist Phillies manager who was one of Robinson's worst tormentors. Tudyk was so convincing in the role, it was hard not to hate him. Then of course, there's the legendary Harrison Ford as Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey, the man who helped break the color barrier by deciding to sign Robinson. I didn't realize just how old Harrison Ford is until I saw him in this. He was almost unrecognizable, and really disappeared in his role. At 71 years old, he still looks good for his age though.

It was great to see how his teammates went from signing a petition against him playing with them to gradually accepting and respecting him. The only problem I had with the film was that it ended very abruptly. I was shocked when the concluding notes of what happened to all the characters started rolling, as they typically do in films based on true stories. I felt like they stopped telling his story too early. Aside from that, I was very impressed with the film's authenticity and honest portrayal of the characters and time period.

"42" has already proved to be a hit. It opened at number one at the box office, and it broke some records for baseball-themed movies. At $9.1 million, it had the best opening day ever, and at $27.3 million, it had the best opening weekend. This will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest baseball movies of all time. In my book, it's right up there with "The Sandlot" and "A League of Their Own." What's great about "42" is that it's far more than just a baseball movie. It's a movie about overcoming obstacles, staying strong during difficult times, believing in yourself, and standing up for what is right.

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'm a middle-aged black man now and sometimes I wonder if young people get it.

I was born in Richmond, VA, and I'm 1 (ONE) generation removed from segregation.

It is because of this that I was FLOORED by the performance of these young actors. Chadwick Boseman & Nicole Beharie did a magnificent job portraying the grace and courage of the Robinsons.

I couldn't have done it. Boseman has an UNCANNY resemblance to Jackie, and his performance was so visceral that it proved to me that I couldn't have done it.

I wouldn't have had the courage to stand up to racism by NOT fighting back. I wouldn't have had the patience to bide my time until folks decided it was time to see me as being more than sub-human. I absolutely wouldn't have taken the risk of playing a game while people threatened my wife and child.

When Jackie finally got angry enough to smash his bat against a wall, that was the ONLY thing I could relate to - then to realize he had to go back out there because it was about MORE than just him - I was flabbergasted by his courage.

This is more than a film about baseball. The nuances like watching people in second class seating still turning out to support Robinson in full-on "Sunday church service" dress was poignant to me.

This movie ain't just about Jackie.

My mom is from New York, and she was 7 years old when Jackie joined the Dodgers. She remembers this clearly.

It's obvious why you (as I did) would take your kids to see this film as it shows what happened and how far we've come. For me, it shows what other people did FOR ME that I was incapable of doing for myself.

This film has some corny parts to it - like most films of this ilk, it sanitizes some things and does tie a nice bow on some issues glossed over in the retelling...

..that doesn't mean it's not a darned good film.

I'm pretty cynical these days. It's not often that I watch a film with a lump in my throat the whole time. I am indebted to the young actors who portrayed the people of my grandparents' generation with style, class and urgency.

I will own this film when it becomes available and that date can't come soon enough.