Jackie Robinson Played Into History And Into Our Hearts As Well

Rating: 9/10 (25 April 2013)

How many movies have you seen lately where at the end, the audience applauds? Not very many? Me neither. But for this one, we did. And rightfully so. What a great film! In Harrison Ford's portrayal of Branch Rickey, you see the sorrow for things past, the joy of the game, and the hope for a better future. As for Chadwick Boseman's Jackie Robinson – the casting here was inspired. You live with him through the pain he had to endure – and granted, this movie only shows a tiny portion of how difficult it must have been for him to display the strength and determination it took to change the world of American baseball - to be allowed to do what he loved and was so good at without restrictions. If you're like me, you will cringe to see the ignorance and hatefulness many people exhibited toward fellow human beings, and you will rejoice in watching as this nation was helped to begin the slow – too slow, but without people like Rickey and Robinson, it could have been so much slower – turn into becoming real, tolerant-of-each-other Americans. For anyone with even the slightest interest in baseball, and for everyone with an interest in seeing civil rights take a giant step forward in the world of sports, this picture is a must. For all its pain and all its joy, I love this movie!