You could take many approaches to telling the story of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. With 42, Warner Bros. and writer/director Brian Helgeland (A Knight’s Tale) went for earnest over something that would have likely had critics chanting “Oscar bait!” This doesn’t make the film any less appealing or diminish its overall quality, it simply gives it what you’d typically expect from a made-for-TV movie, but the execution and performances rise above such comparisons making it a well worthwhile watch and one that caused a lump to form in my throat for most of its duration.
From the moment I first saw a glimpse of what 42 had to offer I knew there was very little this film could do to get it “wrong”. The story is too good and baseball translates to the big screen better than any sport there is, offering so many moments of humanity, both good and bad, that a certain level of drama can’t help but follow. Add the story of the first black man to play in the Majors and you have a story that sells itself. Though, you’re going to need the right people to make it work.
Helgeland went with little-known Chadwick Boseman (The Express) for the lead role and Boseman flourishes. Much of this film relies on Boseman to channel Robinson’s inner turmoil and frustration with the prejudice that surrounds him, be it in the locker room, on the field or out in public and the script doesn’t count on that frustration always being vocalized. Boseman must rely on his face to tell the story and he really comes through.
The story takes shape around the grizzled Brooklyn Dodgers owner, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), who appears to up and decide to bring a “negro” into Major League Baseballn almost on a whim. The reason he gives his staff is ticket sales and by bringing a black man to the Dodgers he’ll be bringing in a whole new audience. These are the reasons he gives… at first.
Rickey’s reasons for searching for the first black athlete to break the color barrier in the big leagues change depending on who he is talking to, but there’s no mistaking his desire to accomplish what he set out to do and it would seem there was no better man than Robinson to be on the other end of that desire. The bond between the two men is never overly sentimental, but you can’t help but get emotionally attached considering the stakes and the abuse Robinson must take if this plan is to end in any kind of positive fashion.
It should be interesting to hear reactions to the film’s underlying message. Of course a message of equality comes without saying as does courage and the willingness to stand tall in the face of ignorance and be the better man. I’m sure many will cry foul and say the film promotes the idea of being good at baseball is all that’s important, but to simplify the story down to those terms is to go looking for something to hate on rather than actually paying attention.
I’m sure others will criticize 42 for lacking a certain level of realism, but to do so would be to overlook the fact that while it presents a much prettier picture than what life for Robinson may have been like on a superficial level, it also doesn’t rely on caricatures or needless hurdles to achieve the ultimate goal. After all, ignorance is and was a part of the cultural back then (and still is) and Robinson had to stare it in the face and turn the other cheek. What more of a hurdle do you need for someone to overcome in a film such as this?
I was happy to see the trials before Robinson were largely those that forced him into being the bigger man and none were portrayed any better than the moment we see Boseman crying in a heap on the floor after withstanding a verbal assault from Alan Tudyk playing Phillies manager Ben Chapman. Captured in silhouette against bright sunlight in the small corridor leading to the field, the walls are quite literally closing in on Robinson. Rickey arrives and when Robinson screams, “You don’t know what this feels like!” All Rickey can say is, “No, but you do. Only you.” It brings emotions welling back up just typing it.
Every step of the way, 42 is certainly not a film made for the awards season, but it is a film made to show appreciation for its subject. I’m sure a more “realistic” portrayal of the Robinson story could be told, one with a much darker appearance, but there’s more than enough darkness to overcome in this story that I don’t think much more was needed without weighing down the entire production.
As I said, Boseman was excellent and Ford even seemed right for the part even though I don’t believe I would have ever considered him for it. Nicole Beharie playing Robinson’s wife Rachel was a rock throughout and I’m happy to say the film didn’t rely on out-of-place jokes or comic relief to tell its story so I have nothing on that end to report.
I could ding 42 for hamming the story up a bit. I imagine some elements could have been cut, such as Andre Holland‘s role as Wendell Smith, an African American sports reporter facing his own form of prejudice, but I quite liked the camaraderie between Smith and Robinson and the lessons learned from both of their situations. Overall, 42 is simply a solid effort and one I wouldn’t hesitate recommending.
