’42’ Film review of the Jackie Robinson Story

“Maybe one day we will all wear Number 42.”

Those words were spoken over 60 years ago to Jackie Robinson, the first African-American Major League Baseball Player. Jackie Robinson was a baseball legend and every April 15 on Jackie Robinson Day, every Major League Baseball player all wore his jersey number 42 in honor of him when he first debuted. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier when the Brooklyn Dodgers club owner Mr. Rickey decided that he needed to have a black player in his ball club. He knew the risks, threats, and danger associated with bringing Jackie aboard. Robinson played by the late Chadwick Boseman and Branch Rickey played by Harrison Ford brought forth an epic and poignant performance to the screen as they faced racial discrimination throughout the movie. Released in 2013, this is a no holds bar film to sit back, enjoy some ball and enrich your senses with thought provoking and riveting material.

When major league baseball began, it was a white-only sport. Blacks were not allowed to play with whites, even though they could go to the game but again they were placed into different sections. The only way that blacks could play baseball was if they were playing in the Negro Baseball League; an all black player baseball association. During the 1930s and 1940s, baseball was on a high note even with the war going on. It was one of America’s favorite past-time and it remains so to this day. Every player enjoyed playing on fresh hewn grass, running bases and hearing the intoxicating sounds of the roaring cheers from their fans. But all that began to change when Branch Rickey (Ford) decided to have a black player on his roster. 42 shows how Jackie Robinson started out playing in the Negro League and how he handled racial discrimination, which caught Mr. Rickey’s attention.

When Robinson began his career in the Negro league his position was short stop. But he was considered and still is one of the fastest base stealers in the game. The way Jackie would antagonize the pitcher and catcher with a smile or when he started to get a lead off was spectacular. Rarely was he caught when he stole bases. This skill was something Mr. Rickey needed for his ball club in order to get to the pennant. Chadwick Boseman displayed an aptitude of the game and emotion when he was on the field playing as Robinson. Throughout training camp and during the season, Jackie was discriminated against and even ostracized by staff, umps and fellow players. But they slowly began to realize that he was not the only black player to be coming to play in years to come and they had better get used to it. In addition some of the future players may even outplay them.

Jackie’s greatest test of his patience came when towns refused the team or his service or when other team managers screamed out racial epithets while he was trying to play the game. This also included actually being hit by balls from the pitchers or close enough to being hit, even if it was a foul. Mr. Rickey was instrumental in giving Jackie some moral support in his own way because he knew Jackie had the guts not to fight back with his fists; but fighting back by showing he can withstand the jeers in the public’s eye and silence them with his sportsmanship bravado his spectacular playing skills. Harrison Ford and the late Chadwick Boseman emotional scenes complemented one another and brought a full scope of what life was like back then. Mr. Rickey was also ridiculed and was sent constant death threats by mail because he dared and defied not only social standards, but changing baseball as the world knew it. Jackie not only represented the African-American community, but he represented a different breed of a ball player not only based on race. He was gutsy, he even showed off. But Jackie played because he lived, breathed and loved this great game.

Casting for this movie was phenomenal. The director, Brian Helgeland, chose people who were not A- list stars for some time except Harrison Ford. This is one of the historical figures that the late Chadwick Boseman played. The depth of understanding what was required to play Robinson was not lost to him. He can make you laugh, cry and feel all the frustration that Robinson would have displayed. I can think of no other person to take up the bat and steal home runs than Chadwick. He was a one of a kind actor and is still missed to this day.

Each cast member helped enrich Jackie’s character. Nicole Beharie, who played his Rachel Robinson (Jackie’s wife), was shown as a diligent and caring wife who also had her eyes opened to the racial prejudices of the world when she left her home in California. She was Jackie’s torch bearer for when things really got too tough and made an effort to be at his home games so he can at least see one smiling face. Jackie’s teammates and opposing players were casted perfectly. Actors such as Brad Beyer as Kirby Higbe represented those who pitted against him because he was black and they didn’t want him to play in what they deemed, their sport. There were those who hated him because he was an excellent ball player and played the game because he loved it. Alan Tudyk, who played Ben Chapman, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies who publicly called Robinson out with racial slurs and displayed outrageous unsportsmanlike misconduct; this actor represented a portion of opposing teams and towns who abhorred Robinson. Then there are those who did like him or respected him enough to have a life lasting friendship despite what their families or fans would say. Actor Lucas Black displayed a touching performance as shortstop Harold Peter Henry “Pee Wee” Reese who supported Robinson (Boseman) as a teammate.

 The cinematography was seamless and has the ability to bring viewers to feel the beauty of the 1940s and all it had to bring. The music score had a raw but perfect blend of 1940s music and modern contemporary music. This is a unique mixture because one would expect to hear nothing but music of that biopic era. However, the direction the director Helgeland took to bring forth modern music was daring but it works. You can still feel the raw emotion of the 1940s era throughout the movie, but when the game is played, music from this new millennium is mainly upbeat, and fast paced. These new musical scores/songs can get one excited and feel as if he or she is actually standing in the bleachers cheering the Brooklyn Dodgers on.

This film had its suspenseful and often deep moving moments. But there was an excitement and an obvious passion for baseball that the actors played off with. A film about a famous ball player cannot be without scenes of Jackie’s most memorable games. This movie did deliver some spectacular plays with the fact that the actors dug deep and can make the audience relive that euphoria of the Dodgers. Go buy 42 from eBay and enjoy this movie about this incredible ball player who defied the odds and even inspired future ball players of different races to pick up the bat and play America’s favorite pastime.

You can find several books written for kids and adults about Jackie Robinson from Bookshop.org including “I Never Had it Made: A Jackie Robinson Autobiography” by Jackie Robinson and Alfred Duckett.

To find out more about Jackie Robinson, go to the Jackie Robinson Foundation and discover how his legacy still lives on.

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