42 (2013)

Sadly Over-hyped

Am I Missing Something?

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

"Break an unwritten law and you will be an out cast."Facing an uphill battle Branch Ricky (Harrison Ford) finds the right African-American ballplayer to break the color barrier in baseball. Rickey's reasons are diverse being both altruistic, having a sense of justice, old guilty feelings, and the desire to win and make money. Chadwick Boseman portrays the Jackie Robinson of legend, an overly talented, silent, and classy individual. While the film is about him, it shows things that go on behind the scenes.The film starts with a quick background and goes into Jackie's minor league trials and tribulations on and off the field. Ricky supported Robinson off the field anyway he could, but on the field Jackie was alone. It shows the break through of his teammates to overcome the prejudicial urges they grew up with. Minds winning over emotions to do what was right.Don't get me wrong, it shows whites behaving badly and makes Philadelphia look bad. It gives us a glimpse of the ugly side of baseball, one we really don't want to see. In spite of the heavy and historical use of the N-word, it is a film that makes audiences stand up and applaud.What the film doesn't tell you about is all the children that were named Jack or Jackie because of this man.Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity. Frequent racial slurs.

42, in my opinion, is an excellent and well-made biopic about one of the greatest professional African-American baseball players of all time. If I had been Jackie (Chadwick Boseman), I would have decked anyone that yelled any kind of racial slur at me. I especially loved everyone that idolized him. If you ask me, the production design was excellent, the costumes were well-designed, the direction was flawless, and the performances were top- grade. In conclusion, I highly recommend this excellent and well-made biopic about one of the greatest professional African-American baseball players of all time to any baseball fan who hasn't seen it. You'll be glad you did.

I really enjoyed this very moving film which is based on a true story. Its about changing social norms and fighting racism through sport and its quiet unbelievable how it all took place only 60yrs ago. But even without the sad facts of history, its a great film about personal triumph and perseverance.Its a very well produced, well acted (other than Harrison Fords awful accent which really was a bit odd!)and is an incredibly compelling story/film about some great and very likable characters. As well as being a very interesting film to watch it really was interesting from a social point showing how much things change in such a relatively short time period.

42 is not just a film about the life of baseball player Jackie Robinson, it is a film about the era and culture of life in the mid 1940's. America had just emerged from WWII which had focused on the elimination of fascism in the world only to walk right into it's own war with racism. Nothing in American history can really show that better than the story about Jackie Robinson and his major league baseball journey. The movie is not just a baseball movie - but it does have some spectacular baseball scenes. It is a movie about the times, how racism permeated the fabric of America at that time. The open racism portrayed in the movie is both overwhelming and uncomfortable - which is it's design. I turned to my husband during one particular scene and said "I wish I could just reach through the screen and slap him upside the head". It really made me appreciate the choice of Jackie Robinson as the first African American to be picked to play in the majors. The person could not just have been a good ball player, he had to also be an upstanding citizen, and a man who would be able to take everything that was going to come his way. And Chadwick Boseman is perfect as Jackie Robinson delivering a heartfelt, gutsy and emotional performance of the man. He shows the many sides of Robinson - the love he had for his wife, the courage to stand, the anger at the constant racism, and, most important, the boldness to not fight back, holding his head high. He is a true American hero.The story isn't just about Robinson though - it is also about his teammates, all cast splendidly, and how they went from wanting to walk away, to supporting and then accepting him. Some poignant scenes are portrayed throughout the movie. It is about his relationship with his wife, played fantastically by Nicole Beharie, a strong woman in her own right, eventually crossing her own barrier lines. It's about the very courageous Branch Rickey played with perfection by Harrison Ford, who has the guts, and a wonderful reason reveled in the film, for bringing in an African American player to begin with. It's about the beginning of a civil rights movement here in America, which begins, rightfully so, with the most American of all pastimes - baseball.