I wouldn't produce a *cough* weekly movie blog if I didn't love movies. And I do. I love movies. Not just good movies either. I love a good bad movie also. Why do you think Nicolas Cage is one of my favorite actors. I own more movies than a human being who doesn't run a Blockbuster should. I've spent more money on movies than I probably should have and I'm sure if a South African family of four knew how much I spent yearly on movies, they'd be more than offended. But, it's not the only love in my life. I love baseball. I've always loved baseball. I'm a product of my father instilling America's pastime in me. If I was given the choice of never seeing a movie again or never watching baseball again... I honestly don't know what I'd pick. I love the game. I love the slow methodical pace of the game. I love pitching duels. I love how every pitch has more thought put into it than a single Scary Movie film has ever attempted to muster. I love the history of baseball. So, needless to say, when I heard that a film about Jackie Robinson was coming out, I was excited. The end result, while not insulting by any means, should've been better.
Jackie Robinson is one of the most important players in baseball history, if not the most important. Together with Brooklyn Dodger's GM Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), they broke the color barrier in sports allowing a "colored" player on a Major League team for the first time. Jackie was met with constant ridicule and torment, he faced bigotry and violence from opposing teams and pitchers. He was hand picked by Rickey because Rickey knew that no matter how difficult things got for Jackie, he'd be able to take a stand and turn the other cheek. And, for the most part, Jackie was successful in this which led to more integration and baseball as we know it today-- colorblind. If you're good enough to play in the big leagues... you play in the big leagues. On one hand, writer/director Brian Helgeland, had a difficult and delicate task of recreating the events of Jackie's first year in the Majors, keeping moments as realistic as possible, not shying away from the unabashed racism that plagued Robinson's rookie year, while still trying to honor the memory and legacy of the man. For the most part, he was successful. Viewers have now been given a semi-accurate portrayal of Jackie Robinson and the hate surrounding his every at-bat. Jackie Robinson was finally given his two hour moment for those not privy to his history a chance to honor him.
On the other hand, the script material was just a little too cheesy to accurately construct the world in which Robinson lived and played ball in. Almost every line seemed like it was written for Morgan Freeman at the climax of every movie he's ever been in. Every line is supposed to be deep and inspirational and somehow move the audience to take Jackie's side. It tried just a little bit too hard to be that dramatic inspirational movie. And it didn't have to. Robinson's life experiences should've been able to speak for themselves. But, behind every line was a pot of Velveeta with Kraft Singles on top. Some of the dialogue was so over the top, it induced the highest caliber of eye-rolling.
I'm sure if Jackie Robinson himself had been able to view the film he certainly wouldn't have hated it. The film was crafted with love and respect and filmed with the best of intentions. This is clear. But, Jackie may have had a thing or two to say about the way things really were back in his day. That being said, the acting is fabulous. Newcomer Chadwick Boseman is fantastic as Robinson. He carries the weight of the film in his expressions alone. I'm certain that there is nearly no one else who could've portrayed Robinson with as much adoration as was clearly evident in the film. Harrison Ford also surprised me. I thought he'd bring a certain cornball element to his performance, and while it was present to a certain extent, it was still an admirable execution. Alan Tudyk, one of the best character actors around right now, also brought his A-game playing Phillies manager Ben Chapman, a proverbial racist thorn in Robinson's side which nearly brought him to the breaking point. His scenes, while periodically difficult to watch, is the personification of the tribulations Robinson had to experience in his career. Everyone else, though, came out like caricatures of racist ball players. It's somewhat of a (pardon the pun) black and white film. Either you're the redneck who don't play ball with negroes or you're the redneck with the heart of gold who don't mind as long as they can play good. No one other than the aforementioned actors, brings any real humanity to the film. They're simply there to create conflict or resolution for Jackie Robinson.
42 is a great Saturday afternoon special biopic of Jackie Robinson's life. It's a perfectly adequate recreation of life "back in the day". But is it the movie Jackie Robinson deserves? Probably not. To be honest, I'd rather just watch a Ken Burns documentary on the man. But, because this is what we get, it does well enough to get its point across. And if you know nothing about what Jackie Robinson has done for baseball, I highly recommend this film. There's a reason the number 42 is the only number retired in all of baseball. Just make sure you can handle the cheese, because once you walk out of the theater, while I'm sure you'll feel slightly moved by the film, you may feel a little lactose intolerant as well.
B-
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