42 (2013)

The life story of Jackie Robinson and his history-making signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers under the guidance of team executive Branch Rickey.

Director:

Brian Helgeland

Writer:

Brian Helgeland

Stars:

Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chadwick Boseman	...	Jackie Robinson
Harrison Ford	...	Branch Rickey
Nicole Beharie	...	Rachel Robinson
Christopher Meloni	...	Leo Durocher
Ryan Merriman	...	Dixie Walker
Lucas Black	...	Pee Wee Reese
Andre Holland	...	Wendell Smith
Alan Tudyk	...	Ben Chapman
Hamish Linklater	...	Ralph Branca
T.R. Knight	...	Harold Parrott
John C. McGinley	...	Red Barber
Toby Huss	...	Clyde Sukeforth
Max Gail	...	Burt Shotton
Brad Beyer	...	Kirby Higbe
James Pickens Jr.	...	Mr. Brock

Storyline

In 1946, Jackie Robinson is a Negro League baseball player who never takes racism lying down. Branch Rickey is a Major League team executive with a bold idea. To that end, Rickey recruits Robinson to break the unspoken color line as the first modern African American Major League player. As both anticipate, this proves a major challenge for Robinson and his family as they endure unrelenting racist hostility on and off the field, from player and fan alike. As Jackie struggles against his nature to endure such abuse without complaint, he finds allies and hope where he least expects it.

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Plot Keywords:

brooklyn dodgers | home run | 1940s | digit in title | hero | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Jackie Robinson Project

Filming Locations:

Rickwood Field - 1137 2nd Avenue W, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$27,487,144 (USA) (12 April 2013)

Gross:

$69,819,943 (USA) (29 April 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie, the "punishment' for not agreeing to play n the same team with Jackie Robinson was being "traded to Pittsburgh". Branch Rickey would ultimately leave the Dodgers in 1950 and become the GM in Pittsburgh in 1953. Dodgers player Bobby Bragan, who said he wanted to be traded but then asked not to be, ended up managing the Pirates in 1956.

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Goofs

As the minor league team bus approaches the rural gas station, a caption states that this is "Interstate 24". While modern-day Interstate 24 may follow a route similar to the road depicted, the Interstate system itself did not exist until 1956, some 10 years after the time of the scene in question.

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Quotes

[from trailer]
Jackie Robinson: I'm not goin' anywhere! I'm right here!

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Connections

Version of The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)

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Soundtracks

"Move It On Over"
Written and performed by Hank Williams
Courtesy of Mercury Nashville Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

A Number on the Back

Greetings again from the darkness. After some soul searching, I have decided to turn off the critical side of my brain and concentrate on what is good about this movie. As a baseball and movie fanatic, a bit of trepidation creeps in when the two come together. However, this really isn't a baseball movie, though the story focuses on what may be the most critical turning point in baseball history. In fact, this turning point was much bigger than the American Pasttime ... it was also key to the Civil Rights Movement. The movie is a reminder of how different things could have been with the wrong man rather than the right one ... Jackie Robinson.

Writer/Director Brian Helgeland (s/p for L.A. Confidential and Mystic River) takes a look at what occurred in 1945-47, when Brooklyn Dodgers President and GM Branch Rickey (played by Harrison Ford) made the business decision to integrate baseball. We see his selection process ... Roy Campanella "too nice", Satchel Paige "too old". He settles on Jackie Robinson after their infamous 3 hour meetings where Rickey confronts Robinson with his need for a black player "with the guts NOT to fight back".

Chadwick Boseman portrays Jackie Robinson as a man thoroughly in love with his wife Rachel (played by Nicole Beharie), and one who says he just wants to "be a ballplayer", while at the same time taking pride in his world-changing role. We see his evolution from his stint as shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs of Negro Leagues to his time with the Dodgers' AAA minor league team in Montreal and finally to his introduction to the Major Leagues in 1947.

This is an earnest and sincere movie that removes the complexities of the times and the main characters. Much of it is portrayed as good guys versus bad guys. The good guys are really good and the bad guys are really bad. Alan Tudyk has the unenviable task of portraying Philadelphia Phillies manager Ben Chapman, who famously unleashed a verbal assault of vile racism on Robinson. Mr. Rickey credited Chapman's small-mindedness as the single biggest factor in unifying the Dodger team around Robinson. The other famous moment given time in the movie is when beloved shortstop Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black) put his arm around Robinson, shushing the Cincinnati fans. Of course as a baseball fan, I enjoyed the all too brief antics of Brooklyn manager Leo Durocher (Christopher Meloni) whose place in the Robinson story would have been much more profound had he not succumbed to the weakness of the flesh (so to speak).

Filmmaker Helgeland provides a tale of morality and social change, and provides a glimpse at the character and strength required by those involved. The story has much more to do with demonstrating how the times began to change than it does with how Jackie Robinson, an unpolished ballplayer but superior athlete, transformed himself into a perennial all-star and league MVP. And that's as it should be. As Rickey stated, acceptance will only occur if the world is convinced Robinson is a fine gentleman and a great baseball player. That burden must have weighed heavily at times, but it's very clear that Robinson was the right man at the right time.