Blog: ‘42’
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I had a different movie review planned for this post but in light of the recent, unfortunate passing of Chadwick Boseman, I thought my time would be better suited watching one of his films. Most of you probably correlate Boseman with Black Panther, but this wasn’t the movie I had in mind. Although he was the absolute perfect fit for the king of Wakanda, he was also the perfect fit to portray the wildly famous ballplayer Jackie Robinson in 42.
Jackie Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player to play in the big leagues in the 20th century. Some people say he was the first professional black player ever but I’m here to tell you they are rather wrong. Fun fact!: Moses Fleetwood Walker was the first and he played for the Toledo Blue Stockings in 1884. There were a few other major league black players after him, too. But years later in 1887 after much racial conflict, the International League’s managers agreed to not sign any more black players. The color barrier broke again in April 1947 when Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers, starting at first base wearing the famous number 42. After that, baseball was forever changed.
42 is a sports drama that shows Robinson’s transition into Major League Baseball while battling so much racism it will make your blood boil. Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) recruits Robinson to first play for the minor league team, the Montreal Royals, then subsequently, the Brooklyn Dodgers. His teammates sign a petition saying they won’t play with Robinson, other coaches yell racial slurs at him while he’s up to bat, and hotels deny the team accommodations because of Robinson. It’s disgusting. But he fights back in the best way he knows how — by being a damn good ballplayer. The Dodgers end up winning the pennant that year and Robinson is awarded Rookie of the Year.
Boseman is so, so good in this role. He has so much dang emotion going on behind his hard exterior that when you finally see him break during that first game against the Pirates, it’s painful to watch. He makes you sympathize with the character and when an actor can do that, you know he or she is a good one. Ford is well, great in his role as per usual. He’s almost unrecognizable because he’s wearing prosthetics and his voice is deeply coarse. I love watching the development of the Dodgers players when they start to realize what asses they are and experience the discrimination that Robinson receives all the time. It’s not so fun when it’s happening to you, is it? I applaud substantial character development.
I also applaud sports movies. I could be biased having grown up surrounded by baseball but I think 42 is a stunning sports film. But I also think it’s a stunning film even if you don’t like baseball. Because this movie is about something bigger than just baseball. It’s a depiction of institutional racism and how a black player broke the color barrier in a white man’s game because of how good he was. We, as an audience, are shown how the act of racism is passed down from one generation to another and why racism to any extent is unacceptable. At the end of the day, the color of our skin is not determinant of our worth, skill, or who we are as human beings.
Chadwick Boseman brought Jackie Robinson to life and did his story justice. Again, I know a lot of you are primarily familiar with Black Panther but I encourage you to watch his other works. This was the first time I ever saw him on screen in 2013 and I never forgot it. An insanely talented actor and seemingly sweet person, he is gone from this earth way too soon (coincidentally, he passed away on Jackie Robinson Day). The undeniable impact he had on audiences will last forever. May he rest in peace.
You can rent 42 now on Amazon Prime Video or FandagoNow.
