One of America's Greatest Stories

Rating: 8/10 (15 April 2013)

If you are a sports fan - a must see.
If you are a movie fan - a very worthwhile evening.
Interested in social issues - another essential.
It seemed a bit light on some drama relative to our modern day over-the-top entertainment world, but I think part of the motive here was to appeal to a wide variety of older movie goers who remember this era to some degree. This was not a bad thing. I do think that it was a different era and seemed to capture that well. So, I thought it did real justice to this and is a great film in large part because the Jackie Robinson story is the greatest story in American Sports history. One of the great stories in American history, period.
You can't walk out of this film without a tear in your eye and a deep, deep respect for the great Jackie Robinson. A story that really needs to continually be honored and re-told - so that all athletes and all people in our culture see this man of deep courage, integrity and grace. An incredible human being.
The film also introduces two young actors who've had some decent roles but this will really bring them into the mainstream:
Chadwick Boseman - who played Jackie. Great role - really seemed to capture the class of Robinson, I believe.
Nicole Beharie - did a fine job. And, she is incredibly beautiful. I mean a knockout! A 10 in the face and not far behind everywhere else. She will be a much more well known name from here on out.
I thought this may have been one of Harrison Ford's best acting roles ever because you didn't think, "Hey, that's Harrison Ford doing his thing" as he has so often in the Indiana Jones' series and other films (not a bad thing, mind you, he does well at it), but - instead - you thought, "that's Branch Rickey." The actor was lost inside the character.
I would not be surprised and would really love to see Ford get a best supporting Actor nod for this.
A film that really should be seen for the quality and for the story itself. A truly important and great story.