I never got a chance to see this movie in theaters but I really wanted to go see it. I finally got the chance to do so the other day and it was definitely worth the wait.
First, I’d like to start off by saying that I’m not a baseball fan. There are players and teams that I’ll root for but very rarely do I watch a game. Growing up in Pittsburgh and watching the Pirates lose again and again turned me off to the sport. It also is a rather slow-moving sport where there’s little scoring most of the time. I don’t get the same adrenaline rush from it that I get from football and hockey.
That being said, I wasn’t worried about this movie. My family loved it and my brother went so far as to say it is probably in his top five. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this movie though because like I said, I’m not a baseball fan, so I don’t know a whole lot about the Jackie Robinson story. I know that he was the first African-American to enter the big leagues and that he endured plenty of racist slurs and unfairness during his career, but he truly was a national hero for what he did, which is why on April 15, every major leaguer wears the number 42, to celebrate what he did for the sport of baseball. I don’t know much more than that.
This movie made me gain a whole new appreciation and respect for Jackie Robinson. While this movie is definitely more of a drama than a baseball movie, that didn’t bother me. This movie relied on the telling of the story and how well the actors could portray their characters. Jackie Robinson is played by Chadwick Boseman. Your reaction is probably the same as mine: Who? Prior to 42, Boseman guest starred on various TV shows, but was never a regular. He did nine episodes on the show Lincoln Heights and thirteen episodes on Persons Unknown. Aside from those two shows, he has never done more than one episode for any one show. As for experience on the big screen, Boseman only has been in four movies and I haven’t heard of any of them (Date, Ladylike, The Express, and The Kill Hole).
Despite having limited experience, Boseman delivers an outstanding performance in this, one that is very believable and so convincing that I looked at him as Jackie Robinson the whole film. Sometimes I’ll look at a character and while they are convincing, I’ll still have a voice in the back of my head reminding me who the actor is. This was not the case here. Boseman depicts Robinson in such a clear light that it was impossible for me to doubt him. His portrayal is almost hypnotizing it’s so good. Character connection is very strong and I have a genuine care for Robinson here. It’s truly some of the best acting I’ve ever seen. In my opinion, an amazing performance that should definitely win a Best Actor award.
Harrison Ford also does a fantastic job as Branch Rickey, the club president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Despite not having a large amount of screen time, I still had a great admiration for Rickey, not just for what he did, but for how he handled it. I have to admit I almost teared up at one point. Harrison Ford is one of the greatest actors of all-time and he shows he deserves that recognition here. In my opinion, a performance that should get at least a nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role if not a win.
This movie was directed by Brian Helgeland. My reaction was the same as for Boseman: Who? After looking him up on IMDb, I found out that Helgeland has directed only 3 movies (Payback, A Knight’s Tale, and The Order), with the most recent in 2006. After reading this, my reaction was “WHAT?!” Helgeland has been an avid writer for the screen though. He’s written for 22 movies, including Man on Fire, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, and Robin Hood. Despite his limited experience in directing, he does a great job getting the performances out of the actors that he wanted. A Best Director nomination perhaps?
Once again, if you’re new to my blog, I’ve always ranked movies on a scale of 0-100 (I don’t know why, I just always have). Here’s the grading scale.
90-100 It’s a great movie and definitely one worth buying. (Iron Man 3, World War Z)
80-89 It was a pretty good movie and definitely one worth seeing, but it doesn’t quite scratch my top ten percentile. (Star Trek Into Darkness, Now You See Me, Man of Steel, Monster-In-Law, White House Down)
70-79 It’s okay but I’ve seen better. It has its moments, but it has its flaws, too. (Oblivion)
60-69 It’s got plenty wrong with it but I still got enjoyment out of this one. (Pacific Rim)
50-59 This movie isn’t intolerable but it’s not blowing my mind either. I’m trying really hard to get some sort of enjoyment out of this. (The Hobbit, After Earth, Road to Perdition)
40-49 This movie is just mediocre. It’s not doing anything other than the bare minimal, so morbidly boring that sometimes I’m actually angry I watched this. (Patriot Games)
30-39 Definitely worse than mediocre, the 30’s ironically define the 1930’s, full of depression, lack of accomplishments, poverty and just so dumb. (The Contract, Pride and Prejudice)
20-29 What did I just watch? Cliches, stupidity, nothingness, did I mention stupidity? Just…wow.
0-19 Watching this movie resulted in one or more of the following: seizure, loss of brain cells, falling asleep/unconsciousness, feel you wasted your time/day, accomplished nothing for you, left the movie knowing less about it then you did going into it, constantly asking yourself why you came to see this movie, or near-death experience. In short, staring at a wall was just as entertaining as watching this movie. This movie deserved a sticker or a label that said, “WARNING: EXTREME AMOUNT OF SUCKAGE.” (Midnight Cowboy)
My score for 42: 96.
There aren’t really any other elements in this movie but you can’t complain because the drama and characters are so well-done. As I said, I expect a couple of awards with this movie. When you look at the cast and director, it looks like a bunch of nobodies getting together to make a movie (except for Harrison Ford of course), but at the end of the day they prove to be an underdog phenomenon. All of the supporting cast did a great job. Definitely a must-buy and a must-see.
*SPOILER ALERT* IF YOU DON’T WANT THE MOVIE SPOILED, STOP READING!!!
*SPOILER’S EDITION*
There’s nothing to spoil in this movie or anything that I didn’t like about it. This more than reached my expectations and I’m very happy I watched it.
wordsofwistim 