42 Rounds the Bases
I may be a bit biased when it comes to movies about baseball. I have grown up a Padres fan all my life and have come to love and respect the game and its long, sometimes terse history. Naturally, when I heard a movie about Jackie Robinson was coming out, I squealed like a little schoolgirl. (I wish I was kidding.) When I learned that Harrison Ford would star in the film, I was all-in.
The first thing that stood out to me while watching this film was the number of times I thought to myself, "Hey look, it's that guy from that thing!" The movie features appearances from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's Christopher Meloni and Grey's Anatomy's T.R. Knight and James Pickens Jr. After basking in the excitement of seeing these actors finding cool roles to play, I was next amazed by the accuracy and detail of which the various sets and ballparks were visualized throughout the film. I feel that it is especially important for period pieces to really focus on things like costume and set design, and 42 really nailed it.
Of course, the star of the movie is Jackie Robinson. Portrayed by Chadwick Boseman, Jackie is forced to fight off the racist negativity surrounding his entry into the major leagues. With his wife, Rachel (Nicole Beharie), by his side, Jackie is almost driven to a mental breakdown from the immense pressure of breaking the color barrier within baseball. I feel that Boseman's portrayal was very convincing. (he truly does look a lot like Jackie Robinson!) Calmness, joviality, and rage are all exemplified throughout the duration of the movie with sincere passion and conviction, enough to bridge the duller moments of the plot development.
If you are a baseball fan, this movie is a must-see. It's a marked improvement from last year's Trouble with the Curve and is bound to even entertain those who wouldn't know a home run from a touchdown.
Written April 19, 2013
The first thing that stood out to me while watching this film was the number of times I thought to myself, "Hey look, it's that guy from that thing!" The movie features appearances from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's Christopher Meloni and Grey's Anatomy's T.R. Knight and James Pickens Jr. After basking in the excitement of seeing these actors finding cool roles to play, I was next amazed by the accuracy and detail of which the various sets and ballparks were visualized throughout the film. I feel that it is especially important for period pieces to really focus on things like costume and set design, and 42 really nailed it.
Of course, the star of the movie is Jackie Robinson. Portrayed by Chadwick Boseman, Jackie is forced to fight off the racist negativity surrounding his entry into the major leagues. With his wife, Rachel (Nicole Beharie), by his side, Jackie is almost driven to a mental breakdown from the immense pressure of breaking the color barrier within baseball. I feel that Boseman's portrayal was very convincing. (he truly does look a lot like Jackie Robinson!) Calmness, joviality, and rage are all exemplified throughout the duration of the movie with sincere passion and conviction, enough to bridge the duller moments of the plot development.
If you are a baseball fan, this movie is a must-see. It's a marked improvement from last year's Trouble with the Curve and is bound to even entertain those who wouldn't know a home run from a touchdown.
Written April 19, 2013