Analysis of Movie 42

For my movie review, I chose to watch the movie 42, a biographical sports film about the racial integration of professional baseball player Jackie Robinson. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie and have seen it multiple times. I would rate the movie a 4.5 out of 5. The small problem I have with the movie is it gets boring in some parts, and I fall asleep; which is a continuous struggle for me in every movie I watch. The movie honestly does have a great storyline and can make people very emotional.

The movie, 42, was released on April 12 of 2013 in the United States. Thomas Tull produced the film along with Brian Helgeland directing it. The main character, Jackie Robinson, is played by Chadwick Boseman. A few other starring actors are Harrison Ford, Alan Tudyk, and well-known actress Nicole Beharie. The film is a total of 128 minutes long with many ups and downs and climactic scenes to keep the viewers intrigued, well they tried to at least. The film brought in 97.5 million dollars at the box office with a 40 million dollar budget. Brian Helgeland made $27.5 million on its opening weekend, the highest-grossing debut for a baseball movie in Hollywood history and the second-highest for a sports drama. 42 is rated PG-13 for its thematic elements, including language.

Making the movie was an adventure that took a total of twenty-three years to bring to life. The first idea and plan of a movie based on Jackie Robinson’s life and experiences were thought of by Spike Lee in 1995. The studio he was working with planned to release the film in 1997, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier. Sadly, the project fell apart in 1196 due to creative differences. Throughout the years, there were three more failed attempts to make the movie a reality. Finally, the movie became promising in June of 2011 when Legendary Pictures announced they were going to produce and develop a movie based on Robinson’s life.

Filming of the movie primarily took place in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee in the cities Macon, Birmingham, and Chattanooga. A few of the inside and stadium shots took place at Atlanta Film Studios in Paulding County. The writers of 42 did an excellent job of portraying the setting as if it was really in the 1940s. Characters in the film had the correct attire, language, and demeanors about them that makes the movie very realistic. Uniforms worn by the Dodgers players, the hairdos women did, the style characters had, and the everyday activities and customs they’d do all were related to the 1940s-1950s. The settings where the scenes took place were very persuading because they were base on old photographs and stadium blueprints. In total, the movie took two years to film and produce.

It is difficult to tell the story of something that lasted for many years with lots of substance in a short two hours. With that being said, I feel the writers, producers, and directors did a great job of telling Jackie Robinson’s story and celebrating his success. Many critics were pleased by the historical accuracy of the movie and how many facts and content was made clear in such a short amount of time. The people, events, and actions that took place all pertained to real life. Jackie had to go through many difficulties being a black man playing baseball and the persecution he, and other people of color, faced was more than obvious.

I enjoyed the movie because it’s real and has substance to it. 42 is not just another comedy baseball movie. This plot is something that indeed happened and a miraculous event that changed history. Being heavily involved in softball, I appreciate the game more than I did before. I would recommend this movie to my friends, and even watch it a party with them! The film can make you go from laughter to tears to anger in a matter of minutes. Watching Jackie defy the odds and do what so many told him he couldn’t is inspiring and motivational. I’m so glad that this movie has been created to educate, pay respect, and celebrate the life of Jackie Robinson and his success. He honestly did change history and make the world a better place: he deserves to be known and remembered.

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