Before I begin my review, I would like to take the time to make a personal dedication. My grandfather Thomas Woltman was a lifelong Brooklyn Dodgers fan. When I was little boy, he would tell me the stories of how he and his friends would hide their backpacks in the train station, and take the subway to Ebbets Field to see the Dodgers play. In the summers that we journeyed to North Lake he would always be wearing his old blue hat with the white "B" front and center. In his den, he had a small model of Ebbets Field in the china cabinet. My Papa Tom passed away this April at the age of 80, roughly two weeks after this movie was released. He was and is one of the greatest men I have ever known. To him, this review is respectfully dedicated in loving memory.
42 chronicles the beginning of the career of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in Major League Baseball thanks to the intervention of General Manager, Branch Rickey. He overcomes the adversity and prejudice to become one of baseball's true hall of famers, and broke ground for those who followed in his footsteps.
This movie explores what most of America didn't see behind the scenes of this endeavor. The hate that Robinson and Rickey had to experience. The threats on their lives, the constant living in fear. Yet it also shows how brilliant both of these men were. Despite all of the hardship they endured, they never let it show. They endured, they showed up, they never lose their temper. It also shows the small kindnesses and growth that occur when you don't expect them to. At first, his teammates are skeptical, even threaten to leave the team if Robinson is allowed to play. However, the teammates warm up to him as does the general public. Most of them, though not all, come to the realization that in baseball, it's not the color of your skin that matters, it's your skill.
Chadwick Boseman plays Robinson with determination and vigor. He comes across as confident and strong willed, and he is. It's clear that he is. But he also shows his tender emotions in Jackie's most private moments. When he witnesses the birth of his child, when he is denied a seat on an airplane, when the weight of the world seems like too much, Chadwick Boseman lets us in. He lets us see all of it through his eyes. He is the perfect choice to play one of baseball's greatest assets.
This movie also features one of my three favorite actors of all time: Harrison Ford who happens to be Andrew's Standout for this film. Ford plays the General Manager, Branch Rickey, who is the one who decided to break the color barrier. Ford's characters have, in recent years, come across as grizzled old-timers who would be best left alone. Here, he is still somewhat miserly, but plays Rickey with a playful optimism that seems refreshing. He is one of the few pure characters in the film. It may seem as though he only does what he does for publicity or money, but Ford always comes across as the guy you want in your corner. Eventually we learn Rickey's true motives, and we grow fonder of him for having found them out. To this date, I have never seen bad acting from Harrison Ford, and hopefully, I never will.
See 42. It is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital Media. It is a touching story, full of warmth yet not afraid to explore the unseen territory.
A
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