Just wanted to toss out a plug for a very good movie!
42 is the story of Jackie Robinson and the struggles he faced as the first black man to play major league baseball. I don't like or follow baseball but the movie is very good. I feel they struck a nice balance between portraying him as a civil rights hero (which he was) and a regular guy trying to make a living playing the game he loved. The cast is uniformly superb, especially relative-newcomer Chadwick Boseman in the role of Robinson. He bears an uncanny resemblance to the man and manages to convincingly embody the physicality of a pro athlete. Harrison Ford seems to have enjoyed his scenery munching role as Brand Rickey, the owner of the Dodgers that brought Robinson into the majors.
The movie is a little light on story; the movie really is just about the year or two where Robinson broke into the majors. They don't really put those events into context of his life. And it's a little bit predictable, unavoidable when doing a life-story type film. Occasionally the film gets a little too sentimental, perhaps, but very solid performances by Meloni, Ford and especially Boseman prevent the film from becoming maudlin.
I'd give this one two enthusiastic thumbs up! It's the kind of movie that will inspire you and remind you that sometimes good things happen if you work hard enough for them.
