42

2013 baseball biopic

Rating: 16/20 (Jen: 18/20)

Plot: The story of how Branch Rickey brought brought a black man named Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Some people didn't like it very much.

Despite being a fan of both baseball and black people, I really didn't expect to like this and actually avoided it for a while. The advertisements made it look like a half-assed made-for-television production, and I felt that I knew so much about Jackie Robinson's story through my own readings, the Ken Burns documentary, and other things that there wasn't anything to see here. I'm happy that I was wrong about it.

But before I get too serious, I have to point out my best-worst editing that I've seen in a while, something that made me laugh because I've got the mind of a four-year-old. There's a scene that we're told takes place in 1945 where Jackie is stealing bases in a Negro League game with the Kansas City Monarchs. Then, it shows the Monarchs' bus stopping at a gas station and Jackie confronting segregation and getting to use a restroom. It cuts to a scene in Branch Rickey's office with Harrison Ford grumbling, "Get him. Bring him here." He's talking, of course, about Robinson. Then, one of the guys from that office is at the gas station. Jackie pops out of the bathroom and talks to the guy. Then, it's 1947. The only thing I can assume here is that Jackie Robinson was taking a dump for two years which, to me at least, is even more impressive than breaking the color barrier.

This might be a little by-the-book or color-by-numbers, but I liked the authentic feel. I couldn't figure out if they used CGI or actually reconstructed Ebbets Field for this thing, but it looked terrific and somewhat convinced me that I was actually watching baseball from the late-1940's except with a lot more camera angles. Helping give 42 that genuine feel was surprising work by John C. McGinley as the Hall of Fame announcer Red Barber whose phrase-turnings and vernacular might have been my favorite thing about the movie. Harrison Ford also gets a chance to growl out some old-timey idioms, making every conversation he's involved in fun and unpredictable. I wasn't sure I liked Ford's performance all that much initially, but the character and grumbling voice grew on me. I'm surprised a bit at how Ford's transitioned into an actor taking on these roles where he's playing old men, but his voice fits well and his face sags perfectly. This ended up being a remarkable performance of a guy whose actual motivation might have been sketchy but here is pretty much all heroic. Christopher Meloni and Alan Tudyk are also good in smaller roles, the former as the philandering Dodgers' skipper Leo Durocher and the latter as Phillies manager Ben Chapman who Philadelphia can definitely be proud of. Chapman represents the face of bigotry and assholery, the most in-your-face opposition for Robinson in the movie. Despite a lack of curse words, director/writer Brian Helgeland didn't pull his punches here. Also very good in a despicable cameo is the guy who plays a sheriff who throws Jackie out of a game in Florida. The guy was so recognizable, but I can't place my finger on who it is. Finally, Chadwick Boseman and Nicole Beharie play Mr. and Mrs. Robinson. I'm glad that both were important to the movie since Rachel Robinson was pretty important to the whole story. Boseman has Robinson's physique, and although there isn't actually all that much baseball in the movie, he looks the part of a baseball player. There are probably more than a few inaccuracies (I identified a few), but the story's about as well told as the story can be in a couple hours, and they really nailed a few scenes including my favorite with Pee Wee Reese's arm. It's not the most powerful movie about racial segregation you'll ever see, but it's a solidly told story and a great sports movie. I would have done away with the beginning of this which sets things up historically but was ultimately unnecessary and the end which kind of generically gets into Robinson's impact but not very effectively.