42

On Monday I saw the movie 42. I was sort of by accident because Souichirou and I ended up at the small Aeon mall in east Hiroshima, and he decided he wanted to see a movie. After nixed Percy Jackson and the Olympians, we chose 42 because it was the only other one starting soon. Although Souichirou was sure he would be tempted to fall asleep because it was a human interest story and not an action movie.

And actually, we both ended up being surprised by how much we liked the movie! I'm so glad we chose it. It's actually kind of rare for us to both like the same movie.

So this is not really my review of the movie, but more of a general impression...

Only a few minor bad things. The pacing can be a little/rushed or choppy. There was one scene at the beginning where the manager choosing Robinson was cut together with a scene in an entirely different time and place of Robinson at a gas station.  In one scene Rachel Robinson discovers she's pregnant, and then Boom, the next scene is at the hospital after her delivery.

But maybe it's better to have a historical based movie that jumps around a little because the events don't all happen at once, than it is to mix the events up too much for more dramatic timing.

Harrison Ford's character is mainly there to do the monologueing for the movie. It's like he's saying his lines so they can get on IMDB. By the way, I DID NOT know Harrison Ford was in this movie until I saw the end credits. :P Feeling dumb.

The final scene is completely, enjoyably over-dramatic, with more splices of people at different locations and times. Seriously, I would like to look half as epic doing anything as Rachel looks pushing a baby carriage. I think the movie was trying to tell us, "OK, Robinson has been accepted by the team, they got to the World Series--Everyone be happy now!!!"

But aside from a few awkward transitions/cheesy moments, a very enjoyable, watchable movie. It feels like a simple story of one person dealing with a tough situation, and people are mean and don't want to change, but slowly things get easier.

I was surprised that although the movie seemed so American to me, Souichirou enjoyed it just as much as I did. He said he could relate to Robinson and really admired the way he didn't fight back in anger even when he was provoked. And because of his courage he eventually succeeded. I hope that this story can appeal universally. (And he only looked like he was falling asleep once. Haha.)

I liked the movie's message. I liked that it seemed made up of small incidents that added to a bigger picture. I liked that it was a period piece, because the costumes were cool. :)

It's not really a romance, but the main couple is very cute and enjoyable. They're always making jokes, and they seem to understand each other well. There's not much drama in their relationship precisely because they seem like such a good match and they're both loving and supportive. And I like seeing that in a movie. Not another story about getting together, but a couple dealing with life's problems.

Best of all, it's mostly about the characters and not so much about baseball. There are some good baseball scenes and facts, of course. But in the end, as with all sports movies, a game is just a game. The focus here is not on who wins a big game, but that talent and skill should be recognized and celebrated, no matter the race of the player. Jackie Robinson does not have any godlike skill that allows him to succeed without effort. He's skilled, and so are his teammates. But unlike other players, he has to overcome unfair odds.

Because of that, the story feels really true to life. Actually, he doesn't have any godlike talent to defeat racism either. He really just seems like a normal dude who ended up in a really weird situation. And also had the chance to make a positive difference in the world. Wow.