42 (7/16/2013)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including language.

Staring Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie, Christopher Meloni and Brad Beyer

Directed by Brian Helgeland (A Knight’s Tale and Payback)

42 is a HOMERUN!!

Hero is a word we hear often in sports, but heroism is not always about achievements on the field of play. 42 tells the story of two men—the great Jackie Robinson and trailblazing Brooklyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey—whose brave stand against prejudice forever changed the world by changing the game of baseball.

I love the emotion sporting events can evoke from us. Whether it’s watching a 7 year old cancer patient, named Jack Hoffman score a 69-yard touchdown run in the 2013 Nebraska Spring Game or Jason McElwain, the young basketball player with autism having the game of his life or watching the high school basketball game when Jonathan on the opposing team inbounded the ball to Mitchell, a student athlete with autism, sports have a way of grabbing our hearts and ripping them right out of our chests. So I won’t even try to convince you I didn’t shed a few tears in this incredible sports drama about Jackie Robinson.

Most people know that Jackie Robinson was the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball. But I suspect most people don’t know the complicated and ugly details of his inspiring story.

In 42 we meet Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) as a young player for Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro League and follow his historic journey of crossing of the baseball color line on April 15, 1947 as Brooklyn Dodger. And the filmmaker’s choice to cast Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson was brilliant. Besides looking like the real Robinson, Boseman is both extremely strong and extremely vulnerable. He makes it easy for us in the audience to cheer for him.

Another “homerun” was Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey. Everything from how he holds his cigar to how he annunciates every syllable of every word is intentional and brilliant. The other two actors that need some love are Brad Beyer as Kirby Higbe and Alan Tudyk as Ben Chapman. There are more than a few racists in the film, but these two push the limits and make us all uncomfortable. We cannot deny our ugly history but we can learn from it…we have to learn from it. So I loved that it made us uncomfortable.

And it doesn’t end there, there are countless of scenes that contain racial slurs and acts of racism. As a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, I was embarrassed by the behavior of those players, but every team was guilty…including the Dodgers. I tried to imagine being hated by teammates, other players, coaches, owners, the fans, and even a few umpires – not because of something I had done, but because of who I am. I tried to imagine what it felt like to have most of the country rooting against you. Then there was a scene when a white man approached Jackie and his wife as they were walking down the street. You can see the fear in Jackie’s eyes as he tries to protect his wife. But then the man shocks us by telling Jackie, “There are plenty of us pulling for you.”

But my favorite scene was when Pee Wee Reese wrapped his arm around Jackie and said, “Maybe tomorrow we will all wear 42”. Well it wasn’t “tomorrow”, but 57 years later on April 15, Major League Baseball adopted a new annual tradition, “Jackie Robinson Day.” On this day every year, every player on every team wears #42.

Robinson’s character and perseverance challenged the traditional basis of segregation and made significant contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. It’s the strength of Jackie Robinson and those moments of humanity that inspires deeply.

In addition to his impact, Robinson had an exceptional baseball career. And we get just a glimpse at his greatness. Over ten seasons Robinson played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers’ 1955 World Championship. He was selected for six consecutive All-Star Games and was the awarded the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award. He won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. But the highest honor came in 1997 when Major League Baseball universally retired 42 across all major league teams – he was the first pro athlete in any sport to be so honored.

I just so thankful that 42 measures up to the legacy of Jackie Robinson.

The only negative criticism was when Kirby Higbe complained about being traded to Pittsburgh. I found that extremely unbelievable – why would anyone be upset about being traded Pittsburgh??!!

All jokes aside, 42 was an incredibly powerful film and I will certainly own a copy on Blu-ray as soon as it’s available…its “Worth Buying”!

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Yes, I believe every teenager should see this movie. I would keep younger viewers away just because of the mature themes and the racism.

CONVERSATION STARTER

1. This movie is filled with deplorable acts of racism. How did you feel when Jackie was mistreated by teammates, coaches and others?


2. Have you ever seen or experienced racism? What did you do?


3. Read Galatians 3:28
   
   There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
   
   What does this verse tell us about the different races?


4. According to this verse, how should we treat people who are different?


5. John 7:24 tells us, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” What are some things we can do this week to not judge others by their appearance?