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The movie 42, from Warner Bros., tells the story of Jackie Robinson, the legendary baseball player who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he joined the roster of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Harrison Ford stars as the innovative Dodger’s general manager Branch Rickey, the MLB executive who first signed Jackie Robinson to the minors and then helped to bring him up to the show. While the rest of baseball allowed black players in Negro leagues only, Branch Rickey, a color blind manager who wanted to build the best team, despite the color of a player’s skin. He encounters a lot of opposition from his own team and from opposing teams, too.
Chadwick Boseman (The Express) as Jackie Robinson, the black baseball player who was the first man to break the color line in the big leagues, and is subject to constant beratement from both baseball players and managers. He is called a nigger countless times, sometimes even during a game, so that the whole, prejudiced crowd in the stands gets riled up, too.
42 is a baseball movie that is not just about baseball and something that even who are clueless about the sport will understand and appreciate.
It is Harrison Ford who shines most brightly in 42, and Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution at Warner Bros., tells me that the studio is going to be campaigning strongly for Best Supporting Actor Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Harrison Ford.
The actor gained some weight and lost a little bit of hair for the role but hits a homerun in every aspect as the defiant manager and deserves all of the accolades he may receive – Tim Nasson
