Review of 42 (2013) by Luc L — 02 May 2015

I recently rewatched this emotionally powerful 2013 film based on the true story of Jackie Robinson breaking through the color barrier in 1947 to become the first black baseball player to play in Major League Baseball. Chadwick Boseman gives an incredible performance as Jackie Robinson, the man with the amazing baseball skills and the heart of a champion. Harrison Ford stars as the man who made it possible for Jackie to break baseball's color barrier (and to stay in the game by backing him every step of the way), the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey. Both of these men did something for baseball that will never be equalled. They took the ugly stain of racism and slowly but surely removed it from the game they loved. But it wasn't easy. Jackie endured death threats, cat-calls, pitches thrown at his head, and worse.

What's great about this film is that the filmmakers don't shy away from how awful it must have been for Jackie and his teammates. One particularly challenging scene occurs while the Dodgers are playing Philadelphia. The opposing manager (played by Alan Tudyk) is standing outside the dugout and is absolutely berating poor Jackie. He must have directed the n-word in a derogatory manner towards Jackie at least 15-20 times while Jackie is at bat. After flying out and popping out, a frustrated Jackie is at the edge of his rope. You can see that one more word from the manager will send him over the edge. But he doesn't do it. He instead goes down the steps into the clubhouse and screams while smashing his bat against the wall. That scene is so indicative to me of how awful the stain of racism must have been on the game of baseball. But just as Jackie is at his wit's end, Branch Rickey comes down the hallway and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. He tells him that he knows it isn't easy, but the only weapons he can use against men like that manager are his baseball skills---his speed, his bat, and his love of the game. At the time I first saw this movie back in April 2013, I felt that both Boseman and Ford deserved Academy Award nominations for their performances. Two years later watching this movie again, I still do. What a tear-jerker this movie is! To have the courage to not fight back when people are berating you like that! It's truly telling that every year on April 15, every player on every team in Major League Baseball wears the number 42, the only number unitedly retired throughout the league, in honor of the great Jackie Robinson. If you haven't seen this truly remarkable film, I highly recommend that you do. Even non-baseball fans will admire this incredible story!