Ten years ago today Hollywood made the wisest decision they could possibly make and develop a great story behind the first African-American ball player to enter the Major League Baseball organization. Ten years ago today, the film itself still stands the test of time, 42 tells the true story of Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey as both men make great changes in the game of baseball during the mid-1940's. The late Chadwick Boseman stars in the title role of Jackie Robinson and movie icon Harrison Ford plays Dodgers general manager, who decides the time is now to finally intergrade Baseball into the next generation. And re-living this film again I can honestly say this is without a doubt the most perfect adaptation to Jackie Robinson's life that you can possibly create especially when it comes to Hollywood.
In 1946, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), legendary general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, defies Major League Baseball's notorious color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) to the team. The heroic act puts both Rickey and Robinson in the firing line of the public, the press and other players. Facing open racism from all sides, Robinson demonstrates true courage and admirable restraint by not reacting in kind and lets his undeniable talent silence critics for him.
As a baseball fan myself more of a Cardinals fan I've always heard stories of Jackie Robinson, in fact I remember reading a children's book back in school years called Jackie & Me for which tells a similar story Jackie Robinson's first year in the Major Leagues. So deep down I've always known the story behind his first year in the Major Leagues and the abuse he had to endure. So ten years ago, when I first heard that Warner Bros. where finally going to bring his story to a new generation was excited, because I believed it was the right time to really tell the story right and even though there's been one movie about Jackie Robinson that was made in 1950, for which I do need to see, but in all honesty I believe movies back in the golden age they would just sugar coat it as of now you can't sugar coat his career as a great baseball player and the struggles he had to endure. You can't really tell this story right, if you don't have a great list of actors to back the story up and to be honest, I was a little concerned on the choice of Harrison Ford playing Branch Rickey but then when I watched the trailer, I felt much better moreover this was no doubt one of Ford's top five best performances as an actor in all honesty. A lot of people would say that Black Panther was the Late Chadwick Boseman's best role but I have to say his performance as Mr. 42 was his crowning achievement as an actor, mainly because he does all the right things when it comes to portraying Robinson in his struggles and his courage in not letting everyone around him beat him including some of his teammates, and the hardest scene to watch is without a doubt the game where he faces the Phillies for the first time with Alan Tudyk who plays the main antagonist Ben Chapman, it's a whole lot of emotions that does the movie well, and my favorite scene was where Boseman had to let it all how and go inside the dugout and having a huge breakdown and Ford comes in to encourage him to go through because people believe in him. And even though that scene alone never happened, writer/director Brian Helgeland said that his justifications for including the scene was that he felt "there's no way Robinson could have withstood all that abuse without cracking at least once, even if it was in private". Without a doubt both Boseman and Ford's performances in the film are what makes the movie exceptional to watch, it's also the supporting cast that are great as well, and Alan Tudyk deserves a lot of credit of being the main antagonist of the movie for many reasons the obviously he was really committed in portraying the racist Phillies Manager Ben Chapmen who indeed tried to break Robinson in that April of 1947, for which really most actors I have to believe that it would most certainly be uncomfortable to say the N word so many times to make you feel uncomfortable moreover put a lot of hate in your heart and Tudyk was always playing like lovable sidekicks furthermore he was indeed in a Knights Tale who Brian Helgeland directed Tudyk so really when you think about it both men really had conversations about the role so in all fairness to took a lot of collaboration with the director and actor. Another actor that gets a lot of praise though he had little screen time was Christopher Meloni who plays Leo Durocher, the Dodgers manager at that time and even though he shared very little screen time in the movie his one moment to shine was when he gathers up his ball club and tells him that Robinson will play no matter how much you don't approve it, and his way to just enter into that scene and silence them was just amazing furthermore I would watch that scene so many times on YouTube. Last one I'm going to mention before I close this review, was John C. McGinley who was wildly know as Dr. Cox in the TV show Scrubs (fact he's the only good thing about the show) who portrays the Godfather of baseball broadcasting Red Barber, and what he does really well is that he really pull off a tremendous impression of Red Barber moreover does a great job looking like him, and I know because I listen to a Baseball Voices narrated by Pat Hughes and he had the same voice and accent as McGinley did in the movie. One last note is the tremendous visual effects that brought old ball parks from the past back to life, ball parks like Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds because sure the baseball scenes were filmed in a lot of maybe minor league fields (and I could be wrong) but the way they can bring those parks to life where amazing to see, almost like Billy Crystal's movie in 61*. Of all baseball stories that needed to be told this was the one story that need to be brought onto the screen because it was a triumphant story about courage along with an important message about being a decent and kind man to your fellow man, no matter how different he or she looks, this was on one movie that made Chadwick Boseman household name and seeing this movie it does feel sad that it was short lived moreover I would image anyone to portray Jackie Robinson than Chadwick Boseman. Again one of and up there in his top five performances, is one of Harrison Ford's best as an actor. So, if you’re feeling sad about your Baseball team this year not doing well, much like my Cardinals I would highly recommend watching 42 and having your kids watch it as well, because it has the greatness of Remember the Titans and is a great film to watch from start to finish.
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