Why '42' is a film worth watching

Late last week, I warned that perhaps I wasn't, for the first time this summer, going to a theater to see a movie. It's not that I hate the idea of seeing The Wolverine, it's simply that I think I'm a little burned out. Since I needed a break, I opted to rent, and I picked 42 because I love baseball and I really love Jackie Robinson. Is this a DVD worth your time?

Yes. It most certainly is. 42 is not a perfect film by any stretch, and I'll get to a few nitpicky criticisms in a moment. For now, just know that this Jackie Robinson biopic skims the surface of one of sports greatest athletes and allows us, as movie goers, to revel in his victories. I turned off the remote feeling truly inspired, and once again in awe of Jackie Robinson and his accomplishments. Then I watched a couple of baseball games because well, that's just what I do while I'm waiting for football season to start.

On the plus side, aside from merely being inspirational, I also really liked 42's look. The art direction was great, and it was quite clear that great pains were taken to recreate Ebbets Field and Crossley Field, among others. It looks right for the times, based on all the footage and photos I've seen.

As for the acting in 42, Chadwick Boseman does an outstanding job as Jackie Robinson. And I also thought John C. McGinley was, quite frankly, incredible as legendary Brooklyn Dodgers play-by-play announcer Red Barber. He nailed the voice and the wonderful, colorful phrases that made Barber one of the best. I remember when 42 came out, reading an interview with McGinley in which he said how badly he wanted to nail the Barber role for the sake of the fans. He watched and listened to endless Barber broadcasts and studied up on the man. His work pays off. Big time.

I did have a few issues with 42. For one, I felt like the story stayed too on the surface. I wanted to know more about Jackie Robinson's personal struggles, not just scenes of him doing his best to be stoic and unflappable on the field despite the horrendous slurs being hurled his way. We get one really great scene where Robinson just can't take anymore, but that's it. 42 writer/director Brian Helgeland does a good job, a sincere job at presenting the story, but I wanted him to dig just a little bit deeper. Everything seemed just a bit too safe. And as much as I hate to admit this, Harrison Ford's acting in this one (as Brooklyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey) irritated me for some reason.

Still, despite this, I can tell you that 42 is an entertaining, uplifting movie that everyone in the family will enjoy. It's an important film, in that some in the younger generations might need reminding why the Jackie Robinson story is so very, very important. Give it a go, particularly if you love baseball.

Now, how does 42 stack up among some of my favorite baseball films of all time? It's not in the top five, but it's maybe in my top 15. I'll spare you a run down of every single baseball movie I love, but I thought given the subject matter I'd offer up some of my personal favorites.

If I had to name my top three baseball movies of all time, just three, I'd say they are The Bad News Bears, Bull Durham and Field of Dreams. The Bad News Bears is just an absolutely hilariously real movie, with a great performance by the always brilliant Walter Matthau. There is simply no way not to enjoy this film. It's impossible. And no, it's not entirely a kid friendly movie by today's standards, what with Matthau's Coach Buttermaker spending most of the film drunk and all. Still, it's a classic.

As for Bull Durham and Field of Dreams, well, I actually think they're tied for my number one spot. Bull Durham has it all: drama, a raw look at the world of the minors, excellent acting (particularly by Kevin Costner) and yes, romance. Crash Davis' speech about what he "believes in" is one of my favorite quotes in any movie ever. And Field of Dreams just chokes me up every single time I watch it. I can't compare these two movies to each other, even though yes, they both star Kevin Costner. You know what I mean if you've seen them....they're just totally different and each thoroughly wonderful.

I have to give honorable mentions to The Natural (honestly I struggled not picking this one, if you love baseball movies and you haven't seen The Natural, track it down immediately), Moneyball and 61. And yep, I know 61 was technically a TV movie (HBO) and I don't care: It's totally underrated. Billy Crystal did a phenomenal job chronicling the efforts of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record.

How about you guys? Have you seen 42 yet? If so, what did you think? And what's your favorite baseball movie of all time?

Photos courtesy of Jetmag.com and ign.com