“42” [REVIEW]

There is almost no way to truly put into words the accomplishments of MLB Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson. Not only did he break the color barrier for Major League Baseball, but he made it possible for African American athletes to play any sport they wanted. In honor of the 66th anniversary of Jackie breaking the color barrier, Warner Bros. released "42".

"42" is the story of Jackie Robinson's ascent into Major League Baseball. The story centers around Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey, played marvelously by Harrison Ford, and his desire to bring an African American ballplayer to the Major Leagues. Rickey knew he needed the right player: a player with a future and a player that could handle the ridicule. He decided on Kansas City Monarchs star Jackie Robinson.

Robinson begins his trek to the Major Leagues with Brooklyn's minor league club in Montreal. After a year in the minors, dealing with the ridicule of traditional baseball fans, Jackie got his shot at the Majors. During spring training, Jackie's teammates actually put together a petition, stating that they didn't want to play with Jackie. After this petition was presented to Rickey, he had manager Leo Durocher, played by Chris Meloni, put an end to the segregation of the team. If the players didn't want to be on the same team as Jackie, the Dodgers would make arrangement to move them to another team. Every player that had signed the petition backed off, except for Kirby Higbe, who was shipped to Pittsburgh.

Even though he had his teammates support, Jackie still had to deal with ridicule from both fans and other teams. One of the most powerful moments of the film was when Phillies manager Ben Chapman, played by Alan Tudyk, shouts racial slurs at Robinson while he was at the plate. Every time Robinson came to the plate, Chapman was up and out of the dugout to get under Jackie's skin, which he did. After three different incidences, we see one of the first instances of Jackie's teammates sticking up for him. 2nd baseman Eddie Stankey came out of the dugout and got in the face of Ben Chapman, telling him that if he wanted to fight, he could fight him. Chapman backed down and Robinson eventually scored the game's first run.

Another instance of Jackie's teammates sticking up for him was when Pee Wee Reese, after learning about all of the hateful letters Rickey had received regarding Jackie, hugged Robinson on the field in Cincinnati. Reese had received a letter himself from his hometown urging him to sit that game out because his family and friends weren't happy he was playing with Jackie Robinson. Instead, Reese went right up to Robinson on the field and put his arm around him, much to the dismay of the Cincinnati fans.

The movie concludes with Jackie Robinson facing Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Fritz Ostermueller, who he had had a run in with in the past. Robinson had the opportunity to help put the Dodgers into the World Series in the at bat, which he ended up doing with a homerun.

Though the film is filled with relatively unknown actors, excluding Harrison Ford, it is very well acted. Chadwick Boseman, who plays Jackie Robinson, does a phenomenal job showing the emotion that Robinson went through as he was breaking through the color barrier. He shows the joy, the determination, and the depression that comes with being the first African American Major League baseball player. Ford also does an amazing job portraying money hungry owner Branch Rickey. In the beginning, Rickey states that the reason he wants to break the color barrier is because baseball is a business and an African American player will bring more people to the ballpark. We later find out that there is much more to it than that.

As a baseball fan, though it's obvious that some of the story is embellished a bit, "42" does a great job of telling the heroic story of Jackie Robinson. The trials and tribulations of being the first African American Major Leaguer could only be handled by one man...and that man was Jackie Robinson. The ability to handle everything that was thrown at him, whether it be a fastball at the head or an insult from the stands, Robinson handled it gracefully.

Whether you're a baseball fan or not, this film is a great story of life, love, triumph, and, of course, baseball.