Overcoming discrimination

Rating: 8/10 (19 November 2013)

This well intentioned movie about Jackie Robinson's first couple of years in Major League Baseball is worth a watch.
Most of the emphasis of the movie is the racial discrimination he faced on and off the field from his own team and other teams. The portrayal of the ugly red neck is very direct and quite painful to see. There have been some more over the top movies about racism like Django Unchained and more light hearted ones like the Help recently. This movie is somewhere in the middle.
It would have been better to have some establishing scenes on his life prior to 1946 and in his successful years after the first 2 to give a more rounded picture. Also it was a bit lacking in humor and the uplifting element was a bit too little too late.
Chadwick Boseman as Jackie acts well and it's good that it isn't too familiar a face so you can believe the actor in the role. Harrison has a strange hair do and drawl that's distracting. But at least he is playing someone old.
Worth a watch even if you aren't a baseball fan.