42

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is 42.

Written & Directed by Brian Helgeland.

Review #208

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including language.

Run Time: 128 min

Cast

Chadwick Boseman...Jackie Robinson

Harrison Ford...Branch Rickey

Nicole Beharie...Rachel Robinson

Christopher Meloni...Leo Durocher

Ryan Merriman...Dixie Walker

Lucas Black...Pee Wee Reese

Andre Holland...Wendell Smith

Alan Tudyk...Ben Chapman

Hamish Linklater...Ralph Branca

T.R. Knight...Harold Parrott

John C. McGinley...Red Barber

The civil rights movement has had many important names and faces. People like Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King serve as some of the pioneers of the movement. All fascinating people that are worthy of every ounce of recognition they receive. However, there is one name that MUST be mentioned when talking about leading the charge of equal rights for African Americans.

That name is Jack Roosevelt Robinson.

Jackie's remarkable journey of breaking baseball's color barrier is no secret to anyone with a pulse. What's remarkable is how his achievement is recognized by some as only a professional sports triumph. This is not only untrue but worse, belittles the immense impact Jackie's efforts had on the world as a whole. Hollywood finally wised up and decided to tell the story of a man who not only became the first black man to play our national pastime. 

He changed the fabric of our nation.

Plot

The life story of Jackie Robinson and his history-making signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers under the guidance of team executive Branch Rickey.

Walking into 42, the perception is that you're going to watch a by the numbers biopic about baseball's first black player. By and large that's what you get but there were several key points that this film hits that needed to be addressed.

The first being the obvious backward thinking of the game by not having any players of color on their rosters. Whether it was collusion, fear of public backlash or outright racism. The exclusion of these amazing ballplayers is and continues to be a black eye for a game that had no problem puffing out it's chest announcing itself to everyone as America's Game. 42 doesn't outright embarrass baseball for this injustice but makes sure that you're not proud to be a fan of the game that applied this bigoted philosophy.

Secondly, the film does a pretty good job pointing out the blatant hypocrisy the game and country employed. The film begins with a voice over from Wendell Smith, Jackie's chronicler and reporter for a small time newspaper. He's writing an article detailing how World War II was over and that many of the games best players who left the game to serve their country were returning to the diamond. Some of these players were Hall of Famers Joe Dimaggio, Ted Williams and Stan Musial. These men fought along side soldiers of color but when it was time to play ball the blacks weren't allowed to join.

They can shoot a rifle with Joe D but can't swing a bat with him?

Food for thought.

All of this changed thanks in a big way to Branch Rickey. The man with the courage and conviction to understand that the game needed to get out of the stone age and embrace a simple reality.

Change was necessary to move the game forward into the future. So without batting an eyelash he decides to integrate the beloved Brooklyn Dodgers with a black player. This move was met with the predictable opposition from the league and his front office but Rickey was undeterred in his quest. All of this is again not news but the film presents an aspect of Rickey's decision that I never took into account. Once Jackie is chosen to join the Dodgers he's told by Rickey that he's there for many reasons. The obvious ones are stated but there was one that wasn't so obvious that I found very intriguing.

Rickey wanted Jackie to help him increase the Dodgers bank accounts in addition to their win total. Rickey saw the financial potential a move like this could create and was not shy of making it known. I found this part fascinating. For obvious reasons the monetary aspect of Jackie's introduction to baseball could have been seen as a sports version of slavery. Thus it's underplayed a bit, but the film makes no bones about any and every aspect and impact Robinson makes joining the Dodgers franchise. The ironic thing about all of this is that ball players of EVERY sport today are referred to as "property" of their organizations. We as fans don't bat an eyelash at that terminology when the trade deadline approaches yet cringe when it's married to slavery or servitude.

42 excelled at acquainting the novice of the trials and tribulations Robinson had to endure. Then it takes it up a notch by accurately depicting the reprehensible behavior and thinking these baseball bigots displayed. This is mainly showcased rather expertly in the game playing scenes. From the opposing teams players, managers and fans. The disdain for Jackie being on "their" field playing "their" game was evident and necessary. And just like a fighter counter punching, Jackie responded not with pugilism but with his play. He couldn't fight fire with fire so he used the only weapon available.

He may not have been accepted on the street but he made damn sure he was accepted on the field.

Before seeing this film I read other reviews and there was a specific one that caught my eye. The person had no real issues with the film other than the fact that in his opinion the film was dull because Jackie's off the field life was dull. I was in immediate disagreement. How in the world can a man who's been tasked with the unthinkable challenge of breaking baseball's color barrier BY HIMSELF be dull in any way shape or form. Then I watched the film and saw his point. When 42 comes off the diamond it gives you and Jackie a chance to breathe and recover from the action and abuse that just took place. It's a great device but I have to be honest. I didn't care about what Jackie did with his wife Rachel after the game unless it dealt with the aftermath of the several incidents he endured while playing.

The film tended to drag a bit in those scenes. They were essential but for me too slow and uninteresting. Maybe it was the underdevelopment of Rachel's character but for me it just didn't make the film any more entertaining. The cast was filled with terrific actors but as we all know the heavyweights are Boseman and Ford. They carry the film as they should. At first glance Boseman didn't look that much like Jackie and it's funny because to me he resembles him more when he was out of uniform. I know that sounds funny but I guess when Jackie's playing you can get swept away by the visuals of the stadium, crowd, the game and the uniforms to see if the details were correct. This in turn takes you away from Boseman's look as the man himself.

The one thing he did get right on the money was Jackie's relentless motion while on the base paths. Jackie was notorious for disrupting pitchers while on base by constantly hopping and skipping from side to side while taking his lead off the base. This served two purposes it focused the pitchers attention on him and not the batter and it helped Jackie with his timing when he was going to steal a base. There is a classic film clip from the MLB archives that shows Jackie doing this exact motion right before he blazes off to second base. It was obvious that Tinsletown gave my job a call and purchased this film so Boseman could properly emulate Jackie's trademark base running brilliance.

Shameless job plug over.

42 does a lot of good things here but there was one thing it fails to capture. The film takes place during Jackie's rookie season with the Dodgers in 1947. It was a good choice to contain it to his introduction to the game but the film does a disservice to Jackie by not emphasizing the many efforts he made during the civil rights movement long after he retired. The only thing that was explained was that he and Rachel started a foundation that provides college scholarships. This in my opinion shortchanges ALL of Jackie's accomplishments both on and off the field. The game may have been integrated on the field but Jackie's fight didn't stop there.

He was an outspoken advocate of the game's lack of a black presence in the front office and in the dugout. I reminded of the time during the 1972 World Series when Jackie was there to be honored for breaking the game's color barrier and during his speech he called out the game and Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for not having the stones to have black managers. It was a poignant moment that truly showed Robinson's continued fight for equality. The end of 42 doesn't go all the way with detailing his immense contributions and that was unfortunate.

On the 5 star scale. 42 gets 3 stars with a "Go See It!" Recommendation.

That's a wrap for today. Up next is Trance. 

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"