Movie Reviews from the couch : 42
Sep. 8th, 2013 08:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedsitter23Jackie Robinson's life story makes for a good movie plot, and it really hasn't had a big budget telling since 1950 when Jackie played himself inThe Jackie Robinson Story.
I have seen some recent documentaries on Jackie, and so i know there's a lot more than just the fact he was the first African American professional baseball player. He went through hell.
That said, I had high expectations for this movie, but at the same time, I have hard time for biopics when real life offers so much richer detail and I know the story well.
42 tells the story and gets a lot of deatils in for people just learning about Jackie Robinson.
That it does that well (a show of support from Pee Wee Reese, heckling from racist manager Ben Chapman, etc) in giving good detail and making a pretty gripping story.
Chad Boseman as Robinson is sympathetic, but also multifaceted. Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey was an inspired choice (He does some of his Harrison Ford-isms but they are perfect as Rickey's larger-than-life character who looms large throughout). The movie's look is great- from capturing the action on the field to the crisp, bright uniforms. Screenwriter Brian Helgeland (LA Confidential, Mystic River) brings real life dialogue and the action is well paced.
It all leads to a story that is true and a little bit more than what you might expect from what could have been a cliche sports movie. It doesn't overplay it's hand in trying to teach a lesson. It doesn't over-explain or under-explain the story. It's warm, it's inspiring, and it's a real solid family (for the most part, at least fine for teens and preteens) movie. It's not quite Oscar worthy, but it is enjoyable.
I have seen some recent documentaries on Jackie, and so i know there's a lot more than just the fact he was the first African American professional baseball player. He went through hell.
That said, I had high expectations for this movie, but at the same time, I have hard time for biopics when real life offers so much richer detail and I know the story well.
42 tells the story and gets a lot of deatils in for people just learning about Jackie Robinson.
That it does that well (a show of support from Pee Wee Reese, heckling from racist manager Ben Chapman, etc) in giving good detail and making a pretty gripping story.
Chad Boseman as Robinson is sympathetic, but also multifaceted. Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey was an inspired choice (He does some of his Harrison Ford-isms but they are perfect as Rickey's larger-than-life character who looms large throughout). The movie's look is great- from capturing the action on the field to the crisp, bright uniforms. Screenwriter Brian Helgeland (LA Confidential, Mystic River) brings real life dialogue and the action is well paced.
It all leads to a story that is true and a little bit more than what you might expect from what could have been a cliche sports movie. It doesn't overplay it's hand in trying to teach a lesson. It doesn't over-explain or under-explain the story. It's warm, it's inspiring, and it's a real solid family (for the most part, at least fine for teens and preteens) movie. It's not quite Oscar worthy, but it is enjoyable.
