MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 (4/12/13): 42
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Chadwick Bozeman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie, Andre Holland, Christopher Meloni, Lucas Black, Alam Tudyk, T.R. Knight, John C. McGinley, Ryan Merriman Max Gail, Brad Beyer and Hamish Linklater
WRITER(S): Brian Hegleland
DIRECTOR: Brian Helgeland
WEB SITE: http://42movie.warnerbros.com/
THE PLOT: Based on the true story that would forever change America's national pastime – not to mention the country itself – 42 stars the relative unknown Chadwick Boseman (The Express, TV's Lincoln Heights and Persons Unknown) as Jackie Robinson. A star player in the Negro Leagues (click this link and this link for more if you are unfamiliar) for the Kansas City Monarchs, the young ex-UCLA track star is enjoying his life, which made all the better by the woman of his dreams, Rachel (Nicole Beharie).
What he doesn't know, however, is that Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) is about to change his life forever.
Rickey, you see, is the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers (yes, they used to play there) ... And he has long been planning to break baseball's "unwritten rule" that no non-white player will ever take the field in Major League Baseball. And while his manager Leo "The Lip" Durocher (Christopher Meloni) has his share of problems with is current roster, the controversy Rickey – as he's known to his friends and soon-to-be-enemies – is unlike anything anyone has seen before.
Rickey knows becoming the first black player in white professional baseball won't be an easy journey, which is why he hires journalist Wendell Smith (Andre Holland) to help acclimate Jackie along the way. Of course, since he's not allowed in the press box where the white journalists sit, Wendell has more than a vested interest in seeing Jackie succeed. Some of Jackie's potential teammates – not to mention opposing players, fans, journalists and the general (non black) public – however are another story altogether ...
So, what will it be like for the first black baseball in the minor and then major leagues? That the story you're about to see is based on true events is what makes it one that is oh so incredible.
What he doesn't know, however, is that Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) is about to change his life forever.
Rickey, you see, is the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers (yes, they used to play there) ... And he has long been planning to break baseball's "unwritten rule" that no non-white player will ever take the field in Major League Baseball. And while his manager Leo "The Lip" Durocher (Christopher Meloni) has his share of problems with is current roster, the controversy Rickey – as he's known to his friends and soon-to-be-enemies – is unlike anything anyone has seen before.
Rickey knows becoming the first black player in white professional baseball won't be an easy journey, which is why he hires journalist Wendell Smith (Andre Holland) to help acclimate Jackie along the way. Of course, since he's not allowed in the press box where the white journalists sit, Wendell has more than a vested interest in seeing Jackie succeed. Some of Jackie's potential teammates – not to mention opposing players, fans, journalists and the general (non black) public – however are another story altogether ...
So, what will it be like for the first black baseball in the minor and then major leagues? That the story you're about to see is based on true events is what makes it one that is oh so incredible.
THE TAKE: 42, or rather creating a picture fitting of its prime subject, on paper seems like a rather daunting undertaking. On one hand, you have to balance telling the story of the life of someone who is responsible for one of the most significant moments of the 20th century. On the other, you have to mention balancing the real, ever-present issue of race as it relates to the story, its subjects and relaying it to a modern audience in a way that is not heavy-handed nor so watered down that it does Robinson and his achievements a disservice.
Fortunately, 42 writer/director Brian Hegleland and his cast have crafted a film that achieves both – and in grand fashion, too.
Boseman does a phenomenal job at bringing Robinson's persona, both in regards to fearlessness on the field and his cautiousness/strength/stress off of it. Doing a phenomenal job at showing Robinson the athlete, Robinson the husband most importantly, Robinson as a man in a very fish-out-of-water situation carrying the weight of a race on his shoulders, Boseman is dynamic from start to finish. He never plays Robinson like a traditional movie hero who has a big "ah ha!" moment; instead, he simply plays him like an individual thrust into a situation with extreme highs and lows, many of which are unexpected. You feel his awkwardness, his resolve, his pain and his triumphs at every turn – and that is a testament to just how dynamic Boseman is. Then again, considering he, like Robinson has toiled in relative obscurity before now being thrust into the spotlight, the actor's similarity to the situation of the man he's playing shouldn't be missed in how well it serves him in the film.
Ford does an equally solid job at bringing the well-known boisterous, business-like yet humanitarian personality that Rickey was known for to the big screen, much in the same fashion as Alan Arkin in Argo. None of the moments between he and Boseman feel forced, with the chemistry between the two playing out well together. Likewise, the actors cast to play Robinson's real-life teammates present a solid range of emotions reflecting the opinions of the day about their black teammate's presence, exhibiting everything from rage to confusion, prejudice to fear, resistance, acceptance and all points of the human experience in between.
The biggest surprise may come in the form of Alan Tudyk's performance as Ben Chapman, the (then) Philadelphia Phillies manager who provides Robinson with the ultimate test in regards to playing in "white man's" baseball. The scenes between Tudyk – a.k.a. Steve the Pirate from Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story – and Boseman are powerful in not how overt Chapman is in his ... non-approval of Robinson, but just how relentless, biting and impactful they are on not only Robinson, but everyone who bears witness to it.
The maddening/sickening/heartbreaking/unrelenting exchange between Robinson and Chapman (and its aftermath) encapsulates, really, what makes 42 such a well-done film: It's emotional and raw without giving in to either impulse, it makes you root for its star naturally without force-feeding the need to do so down your throat and unlike many other "based on true events" films of recent note, it actually does stick to the facts. It all adds up to a compelling, entertaining experience that exploits the ridiculous nature of prejudice while not exploiting its historical setting to "teach" the audience a lesson. Instead, you get a story about a man doing something extraordinary by trying to just be his own ordinary self – and that is what makes 42 a hall of fame film.
Fortunately, 42 writer/director Brian Hegleland and his cast have crafted a film that achieves both – and in grand fashion, too.
Boseman does a phenomenal job at bringing Robinson's persona, both in regards to fearlessness on the field and his cautiousness/strength/stress off of it. Doing a phenomenal job at showing Robinson the athlete, Robinson the husband most importantly, Robinson as a man in a very fish-out-of-water situation carrying the weight of a race on his shoulders, Boseman is dynamic from start to finish. He never plays Robinson like a traditional movie hero who has a big "ah ha!" moment; instead, he simply plays him like an individual thrust into a situation with extreme highs and lows, many of which are unexpected. You feel his awkwardness, his resolve, his pain and his triumphs at every turn – and that is a testament to just how dynamic Boseman is. Then again, considering he, like Robinson has toiled in relative obscurity before now being thrust into the spotlight, the actor's similarity to the situation of the man he's playing shouldn't be missed in how well it serves him in the film.
Ford does an equally solid job at bringing the well-known boisterous, business-like yet humanitarian personality that Rickey was known for to the big screen, much in the same fashion as Alan Arkin in Argo. None of the moments between he and Boseman feel forced, with the chemistry between the two playing out well together. Likewise, the actors cast to play Robinson's real-life teammates present a solid range of emotions reflecting the opinions of the day about their black teammate's presence, exhibiting everything from rage to confusion, prejudice to fear, resistance, acceptance and all points of the human experience in between.
The biggest surprise may come in the form of Alan Tudyk's performance as Ben Chapman, the (then) Philadelphia Phillies manager who provides Robinson with the ultimate test in regards to playing in "white man's" baseball. The scenes between Tudyk – a.k.a. Steve the Pirate from Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story – and Boseman are powerful in not how overt Chapman is in his ... non-approval of Robinson, but just how relentless, biting and impactful they are on not only Robinson, but everyone who bears witness to it.
The maddening/sickening/heartbreaking/unrelenting exchange between Robinson and Chapman (and its aftermath) encapsulates, really, what makes 42 such a well-done film: It's emotional and raw without giving in to either impulse, it makes you root for its star naturally without force-feeding the need to do so down your throat and unlike many other "based on true events" films of recent note, it actually does stick to the facts. It all adds up to a compelling, entertaining experience that exploits the ridiculous nature of prejudice while not exploiting its historical setting to "teach" the audience a lesson. Instead, you get a story about a man doing something extraordinary by trying to just be his own ordinary self – and that is what makes 42 a hall of fame film.
PARTING SHOT: A film that comes about as close to perfect as one could want given its extraordinary subject, 42 is a must-see, crowd pleasing and very well done film that is a fitting tribute to the man who's jersey will forever hang in the rafters.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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