Review of 42 (2013) by Jason L — 20 Mar 2015

Jackie Robinson. A legendary figure of baseball and a baseball god, wants nothing more than to play ball. He gets something better then just to play ball, when Branch Rickey, a Major League Baseball executive gives him a call to come play in Major league baseball. At first he tests Jackie to see if he reacts poorly or not. After he is deemed to have "thick skin", a quality which means you are not easily angered or agitated, he is drafted with the Montreal Royals, where the story is mainly focused on. It shows his battle with racism and other actions done to him simply because of his skin color. After one season, he goes to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Many of the players refused to play with Robinson simply because he was black, and even went around trying to sign a petition. However, their coach convinced them otherwise with very "persuasive" words, which the players of the Brooklyn Dodgers grudgingly agrees to. After they start playing, though, it is clear that he is a great asset to the team, scoring home runs after home runs. The players on the Dodgers start warming up to him, but other professional players don't. They still yell racist comments and have even tried attacking him, although making it look unintentional. A Pirates pitcher threw the ball straight at Jackie Robinson's head, and the other guy spiked Jackie's ankle while running the bases, nearly breaking it. The manager of the Philadelphia Phillies even shouted racist comments to Robinson while playing baseball, although he requested to take a picture with Jackie to show that he supported Jackie because he received negative reviews about his team in the papers. One day, Pee Wee Reese wanted to drop off the team because his friends and family back home made fun of him and targeted him because of Robinson on his team. However, Branch Rickey pulled out folders and folders of even more severe letters that fans and critics have wrote, some of them even threatening to kill him. After this incident. Pee Wee Reese comes to understand what Jackie is facing and not only decides not to quit the team, but also puts his arm around Robinson's shoulder, showing support for him even though people in the stands were booing and yelling derogative comments.

I liked this movie, because I like the message it was trying to convey to the audience. I think the plot was very authentic, with a few bumps here and there, but mostly true. The main facts that were important to the plot was true, which made it so that it looked like we were actually there, seeing Jackie Robinson's story and how he influenced America. I also like the cast, because they kind of looked like the actual people who they were acting for. Their acting was also very descriptive, because usually in a movie you can't gain a lot of words from it, but I felt that this movie taught you many things about life and character. They played with great accuracy- great moves, hits, and pitches. It actually looked like a baseball game was happening. It also informed us about the past and the world. The music was also very good, because I felt like the movie's scene and music were one, which indicated the music is very fitting for the scene.

Another great aspect of the movie was that the people used very realistic settings. They played in baseball parks, and they had many people being the crowd. I liked how they didn't censor the insensitive remarks because it would have made the story less realistic. I also liked how the paused the movie for each important character, darken the screen, and telled us about what historical feat each of them achieved in the future. I admire Jackie Robinson, not only because he broke the color line, but because he was able to shrug off other people's racist and hurtful remarks. Also, even if he was able to ignore the comments, he played with such intensity and ferocity that he led his team to go to 6 World Series. I would probably play horribly, not because I didn't play baseball, but because I wouldn't be able to concentrate because of the comments thrown at me. This was a great idea for a movie, and I congratulate the people who were able to make this movie so appealing and comfortable to watch.

One issue I found with this movie was that there was way too many happy moments. This makes the whole movie look the same, no variations or changes in tone. I was anticipating some horrific event to happen when Robinson was running at the end, because it seemed like too much a stretch of happiness. This made the movie seem a little bit off, because it just felt too happy, if you know what I mean. Also, I think the movie should've included more sad/bad moments, because that would really emphasize that Robinson had a happy career, not just that he kept winning. A good example to put in the movie would be that they should continue the movie into the world series, and even if the film ends in a sad ending, so what? So what if Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier? They should make a movie where it breaks the typical American happy ending barrier. Also, there are some inaccurate historical events in this movie, although I don't think it affected the plot- Rachel and Jackie marry in 1943, not after signing the contract with the Dodgers, Robinson breaking his bat was not historically proven, and Sam Lacy was the first black man to join the Baseball Writers Association of America, not Wendell Smith. Although some these moments may have been changed to make the characters look more respected, they really don't affect the plot that much. I think that they should've thrown out the part where Jackie breaks his bat, because that kind of shows that Jackie is unstable, and raises questions if he has done this before or will do it again but it just wasn't shown in the movie.

Another problem in this film was that they had a little bit too much romance and should've given more backstory, so we know how he was treated before, and now, and what he did and how it differed from his actions now. We get that Jackie loves Rachel, but we focus in on her way more than we need to, to the point where it almost meaningless and plain. Also, we need less gameplay and more drama,more informational segments, and more background story so that we could understand it more. The overuse of gameplay made it so that we could only see the physical aspect of Jackie Robinson, how he played and how he spoke, but we really need to know what was actually going on inside his brain. What he was thinking mentally would help us understand his point of view better and know what is actually going on. However, I am not suggesting narration. Narration would make it boring, especially in the middle of the film. I am suggesting that the movie should add more detailed scenes and more actions that implies what Jackie is thinking. Also, there needs to be more drama, as stated above, to make the audience laugh or feel bad more, so that there is a difference for people to have different feelings.

Now to the characters. I think that most of the characters were acted out pretty well, but one part I kind of didn't like was that I didn't really figure out the names until the end, when I read the credits. The actor I think did the best is Branch Rickey. He spoke with an air of confidence, that showed that he was in charge. Although he spoke softly, he acted mainly in quiet places, and his gruff voice sounded very intimidating and probably did to other players as well as coaches and managers. I think that people who want to become managers or a leader will find him a man to look up to. Another actor I think did good was Ben Chapman, because it truly sounded like he hated Robinson and wanted him to get off the field. The act he had to do was horrible, but he did it pretty well. I hope no one related to this guy. No one should be racist. Rachel was a mediocre actor, for she looked very fake when she got sick at the ballgame and found out she was pregnant. However, she had some good acting skills when she seemed kind of cocky at the end, when she was walking down the road with her baby carriage, her head high up and proud. Also, she really loved Jackie, or so it seemed in the movie, so I give her some credit there. Acting in movies are really not about what they do, but how they convey their emotions and feelings across.

One actor I felt did not very well was probably Jackie Robinson. This was because he spoke without emotion, talked in a quiet/slow voice, and overall had sometimes bad acting skills. A good part about him is that he sounds very dangerous when he is angry, and scares me sometimes. He acts like he is one truly angry person, and although I don't approve of all the scenes he did in the movie, I do think that he truly loved Rachel, or at least it looked like that. I hope no one goes through racism like he does, because that would be really sad and should be reported right away. Other actors that I felt were kind of bad were some of the baseball players. When they were signing the petition, it didn't really show that the truly didn't want Robinson of their team, they were just saying cuss words and doing angry arm motions. Their faces were contorted into sneers, sure, but their real emotions when talking or looking at each others had fake written all over them. Also, when Ralph Branca was asking Robinson to take a shower with the team, although it was meant to be serious but in the end akward, Branca looked like he knew what was going to happen already and wasn't that serious. When he talked, he sounded like he was already going to make the joke, although no one is supposed to get it until the words actually come out of his mouth. I hope no one ever meets this kind of awkward situation, because that could be the end of a friendship or relationship.

Overall, I'd say this movie did a pretty good job of explaining the plot and what happened when Jackie broke the color barrier. This movie was very positive, with some bad words in it, but all to emphasize the hardships that Robinson had to endure, although I think the movie needed more of it. People should see this movie because it is a very inspiring story that will perhaps encourage young women or Asians to become President one day, or to do the unexpected, something no one has ever done before. This is a very well directed film with a few hiccups here and there, and is very beneficial. I would give this movie a 4, because I think that that some scenes and basic scenes in the movie were a little bit overused and got a bit boring. As a whole though, it is open to probably all ages, appeals to all ages, and conveys a message to all ages. Use that inspiration and channel that inner energy to do whatever you want.