“42” Film Finds Mark

First off let me say, that of course I saw “42.” How could I not? Just as Dave Chappelle could not admit that OJ may have done it, I must go see a movie about Jackie Robinson; my blackness compels me. There I said it, I felt as a self confessed “urban” sports nerd, I had to see “42.” That being said, it was pretty good, not too preachy, yet it didn’t sugarcoat anything.Overall I think “42” does a good job of showing not only what Robinson went through, in breaking the color barrier in baseball, but it does an excellent job of showing the relationship that Robinson shared with his wife, Rachel.

Now for those expecting to see a biography on Jack Roosevelt Robinson, expect to be disappointed. “42” is essentially about the year before Robinson broke the baseball color barrier, 1946, and his rookie year with the Brooklyn Dodgers, ’47.

Harrison Ford plays Branch Rickey, the owner of the Dodgers, who decides that the Negro dollar is worth the blow back for integrating baseball, so he decides to find a Negro ball player that can handle being the first black player in Major League Baseball.

Of course that player is Jackie Robinson, although, SPOILER ALERT: “He’s a Methodist, I’m a Methodist, God’s a Methodist” may or may not be correct, but it sure is funny.

There are a few moments that are pure comedy, as well as heart wrenching. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to see they delved into Robinson’s relationship with his wife. The movie was as much a love story about the two of them, as it was about Robinson’s integrating baseball.

I can honestly say that I was blown away by Ford’s performance; he was just flat out good. Now the crew had a hard time deciphering whether Chadwick Boseman did a good job playing Robinson, simply because he had the same expression on his face throughout.

We couldn’t figure out if that was because Robinson had to be stoic, so Boseman played the character that way, or if he was pulling a Twilight Girl and leaving his face stuck on stoic. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

We all came away from the movie wanting to fact check, and research. Because the movie was not overly Hollywood we wanted to know what was factual and what wasn’t.

SPOILER ALERT: There is one scene involving a kick and some train tracks, that is so over the top hokey, I hope that it actually happened; just because, otherwise to quote Shawn and Gus quoting Ed Lover, “C’Mon Son!”

SPOILER ALERT: “He left the pitcher discombobulated” should not be uttered by kids too young to tie their own shoes, I’m just saying, (side eye, looks at Shawn, Gus, and Ed,) “C’MON SON!!!”

Overall I wholly suggest going to see “42.” Even for those who don’t like baseball, it’s a good story and worth some time.