42

Starring: Chadwick Boseman & Harrison Ford

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Everyone knows that Jackie Robinson was the man who broke Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947, but few know why he was the one that was chosen. Robinson wasn't the best black player out there, he wasn't even a superstar, what he was, was well educated and understood that people attacked him out of fear and ignorance. He never took it personally and knew fighting back would accomplish nothing, and against all odds, no matter what was thrown at him, Robinson was able to brush it off. In 42, he's portrayed by newcomer Chadwick Boseman, who wasn't just fantastic, but also gracious for the opportunity to portray a true American hero. I am a big Jackie Robinson fan and through everything I've seen, Boseman has given the most clear and accurate portrayal of the man to date. His co-star is Harrison Ford, playing the legendary Branch Ricky. Throughout his life, Ricky was outspoken against segregation and didn't just help in breaking baseball's color barrier, eight years later, he broke the Latino barrier as well. What I love about Harrison Ford is that he's so predictable, you know you will always get a tremendous performance out of him and that he will go to extreme lengths to be as real to the story as possible. This film was outstanding, from top to bottom, but my one knock on 42 is that it didn't go beyond the 1947 season. Robinson played for nine years after that and was a key member of the civil rights movement after baseball. I would have liked to have seen how in 1955, at age 36, he led the Dodgers to their only championship in Brooklyn, with an improbably steal of home against the Yankees. I also would have liked to have seen how he became the first black broadcaster, or how he marched with Dr. King in Washington. 42 is one of the clearest, most accurate depiction of two years in the life of Jackie Robinson, and while it was terrific, I would have like to have seen them take it a step further.