471: 42

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: 178, let's get to another random film. 42, which came out in 2013, is written and directed by Brian Helgeland who also did A Knight's Tale Legend with Tom Hardy and a few others.

[00:00:18] [SPEAKER_00]: It stars the late Chadwick Boseman, T.R. Knight, Harrison Ford, Nicole Bahari, Christopher Maloney, a pretty decent cast, Alan Tudyk.

[00:00:27] [SPEAKER_00]: And the synopsis is, in 1947 Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era when he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and faces considerable racism in the process.

[00:00:44] [SPEAKER_00]: So this one I saw when it first came out. I grew up loving baseball, as I've talked about on the show over the years. I don't really watch it or play it much anymore but I loved baseball growing up and played it every chance I had.

[00:00:59] [SPEAKER_00]: So every baseball movie that came out I was there for pretty much.

[00:01:04] [SPEAKER_00]: This is also where, if I'm not mistaken, Chadwick Boseman really got his big break and that's when he became Black Panther. RIP. I just was almost on the verge of tears sometimes when I was watching this.

[00:01:18] [SPEAKER_00]: I just missed this guy and he would have such an amazing career. I mean he left a legacy already with the films that he was in but I can only imagine what he would go on to do if he had more years with them so he will be very much missed.

[00:01:32] [SPEAKER_00]: But I grew up knowing about Jackie Robinson to a certain degree. Didn't know that much about him but I always knew the name. And this movie I didn't know really what to expect when I first saw it and I've seen it probably four or five times over the years.

[00:01:47] [SPEAKER_00]: And I think it's very underrated. I don't hear many people talking about it. I think that for a movie that deals with civil rights, racism, society, culture especially in a big time like the mid-20th century, as weird as it is to say, it's pretty entertaining.

[00:02:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Like it's not a beat you over the head, dreary look at this point in time. Although obviously there were many horrible things that Jackie Robinson and anyone like him had to deal with but this movie has a great balance of showing...

[00:02:25] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean it's simplistic I think to look at racism but at times when it comes to racism and just civil rights in general you kind of need to be not so subtle most of the time. At least that's what I prefer. Hey, beat someone over the head with it.

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_00]: And so even though it's simplistic I think it gives you a good representation over the different kinds of people that someone like Jackie Robinson would encounter. Like someone who is complete 100% hatred racist person but then someone who could not care less what race you are and then also someone who is fully against Jackie Robinson and having anyone but white people in the major leagues.

[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_00]: And then through whatever sort of situation or societal pressure they're able to evolve somewhat quote unquote into acceptance. Whether that's just they don't want to get in trouble, they want to keep their job or they're actually learning better behavior and having a better mentality.

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_00]: So I think all that is definitely there really speaks to sadly speaks to today because not much has changed on that front. So still feels very modern in the worst way.

[00:03:43] [SPEAKER_00]: But veering off that for a little while performances great. Like I think it's a little over the top in terms of 1940s 50s representation and how people talk and act but it all feels fairly authentic within the context of the movie Harrison Ford is really enjoyable.

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Chadwick Boseman is just king in this like he owns that character perfectly and plays the humor side of it. The anger, the frustration and there's just so many facets to that character that he really to me he's the one that evokes.

[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_00]: The sequences on the field where they just show classic baseball being played love that and I think it's really well shot. It looks good, good score, good soundtrack.

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_00]: And I think one of the most effective sequences in the movie. I mean it's horrible to sit through but you see how much it affects him and what he's not able to do because of his position where Alan Tudyk's character who is I think on the Indians baseball team, the Cleveland Indians and whenever they're playing together he steps out of the dugout and basically just calls.

[00:05:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Chadwick Boseman or Jackie Robinson racist remark after another after another after another and Jackie Robinson is like just having to sit there and play baseball with being called the most evil vicious things you could ever imagine.

[00:05:17] [SPEAKER_00]: At one point he breaks but then smartly so he goes into the dugout away from sight and smashes a bat which is so such a powerful moment.

[00:05:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Harrison Ford comes up to him and is like you can't show your anger because as it is with society and how many people view a certain situation or group of people the idea of Jackie Robinson having to withhold all of his anger because otherwise if he let loose he started cursing.

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER_00]: That's all anybody would say. They wouldn't get onto the white person for being angered. Oh well Jackie Robinson lost his temper. He's unstable. He's crazy. Get him out of here.

[00:06:01] [SPEAKER_00]: And that idea especially since this is a true story of both Jackie Robinson and so many people having to be called horrible things, be subjected to the worst treatment but because of who they are because of the color of their skin they can't do anything.

[00:06:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Otherwise they're the one in trouble. So that is a very, very relevant impactful emotional through line through the whole movie.

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_00]: I also really like Christopher Maloney in this as the original manager of the Dodgers who gets fired later on. I love Maloney and everything. Very underrated actor.

[00:06:44] [SPEAKER_00]: So with all that being said a very, very worthwhile movie to watch whether you like baseball or not it's just a very good character piece.

[00:06:56] [SPEAKER_00]: But like I said still has a lot more going on than purely just the commentary which again that's very important but there's many other things to latch onto and think about and enjoy so very well rounded.

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Definitely check it out. That is a four and a half out of five.