"42" many movies in one

Rating: 10/10 (14 April 2013)

by Jim Fordyce AmericanEntertainmentReport.com Rating: 4 out of Fordyce (Perfect)
When I was a sophomore in high school. I got to meet the great Jackie Robinson. Shortly before his death in 1972, he spoke at our high school in the New York suburbs. He was there with his wife, Rachel, and as brief as out encounter was, I came away remembering two things: I had just met a great man and I had just met a great woman who was in love with him.
Now, in 2013, we can all learn about Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the color barrier in major league baseball. This movies is the best I have seen this year. It is a baseball pic, a biopic, a social studies lesson, and a love story all rolled neatly into 128 minutes.
A good script means this movie is fast-paced, human, and accurate. It tells the story of how Jackie became the first black major league baseball player. You learn what everybody's motives were and just how odd something we accept as commonplace was in a post-World War II America. We also learn that many would not accept the future of the USA as it was playing out before their eyes.
This is all done without being preachy. A great cast brings this script to life. Chadwick Boseman is Jackie Robinson, while Nicole Beharie is superb as Rachel Robinson. I loved Christopher Meloni as Leo Durocher and Lucas Black as Pee Wee Reese. John C. McGinley played the Red Barber I remember growing up (although he had moved on to other teams by then), and look for an Oscar nomination for Harrison Ford as Dodger owner Branch Rickey.
Do yourself a favor and head for a theater near you and see why this movie gets a perfect 4 out of Fordyce.
Credit Check: Nothing happens after the credits.