42 (2013)

I really enjoyed this very moving film which is based on a true story. Its about changing social norms and fighting racism through sport and its quiet unbelievable how it all took place only 60yrs ago. But even without the sad facts of history, its a great film about personal triumph and perseverance.Its a very well produced, well acted (other than Harrison Fords awful accent which really was a bit odd!)and is an incredibly compelling story/film about some great and very likable characters. As well as being a very interesting film to watch it really was interesting from a social point showing how much things change in such a relatively short time period.

I do enjoy biopic films and this film is all about Jackie Robinson who is the first black baseball player and how he struggled to succeed in this. To my delight this was a great movie that's hope becomes available to own in the UK. The premise sees a baseball manager want to win the world series so he wants to get the first black baseball player and the film documents the struggles that Jackie Robinson grows through to become a baseball player. Now Chadwick boseman plays Jackie Robinson and he does a great job in bringing this legend to life. He wasn't just a push over and you really felt sorry for him as he was put in these hard to watch scenarios. You really care about Jackie Robinson and you really want to cheer for him to succeed. But probably the best performance in this film is Harrison Ford as his manager and I think there should have been the conversation about whether he deserved an Oscar nomination. He was great and you really felt like he cared about this character and that he really cared about Jackie Robinson becoming a success and it really adds something to the film. Jackie Robinson's wife does a great job as well as all the players and coaches in the film as you truly feel the way Robinson does in all these interactions. The story is really good, it focuses on the most important part of Robinson's life and you truly feel like the baseball field is where he can thrive. There is allot of tension in this film obviously due to the time period and it really works and make you truly root for Jackie Robinson. The script is okay with some well done dramatic dialogue, however, when some of the scenes get heated I think more realistic dialogue and occasional swearing could have made the scene more volatile. The style is alright with the baseball scenes being really interesting and cool but I do think the film could have done with more baseball scenes and really emphasised that the baseball field is where Jackie Robinson thrives. If you are interested in this film at all then you should see it and I hope it comes to the UK so I can get it on blu Ray.

Real event movies always work let's face it. Whether they are a TV movie or a big production, there's always something enjoyable about taking a peek at history. In this case, the dark years of American history are dismantled and we take a look at how much Black people suffered in the past, through the eyes of the very first colored man to play in the baseball league. A man whose unquestionable courage helped him reshape part of the history of this sport, while becoming an icon of the fight against race injustice. The movie itself is not the most entertaining, but I doubt that anyone will not be interested in seeing this through and knowing more about Jackie Robinson. I am not a baseball fan, I have never watched a game, and still I am happy I did watch the movie.

Jackie Robinson is one of the most important African American athletes, if not the most important. This movie perfectly demonstrates all the injustices Jackie had to deal with. Whether it is being denied a hotel room, or having to deal with opposing managers or even teammates. However, this movie shows the good along with the bad. It shows that, while there were plenty of people who were out to prevent Jackie from laying, the people who were their to help him were doing the right thing. I also enjoyed it because it was not your typical sports movie. The Dodgers do not win the World Series, and we do not get to see Robinson play out the rest of his career. The movie does not sugarcoat to much, it portrays what really happens, and how Jackie was really treated. It may be a movie, but it does a very good job at showing a very important piece of sports history. This movie perfectly blends sports and culture, and that is what makes it such a good movie.