The Trailer Park: 42

The story of Jackie Robinson is no foreign piece of history, especially in the world of sports. What Jackie Robinson brought to both the civil rights movement and the game of baseball is nothing short of astonishing. America is a different place because of him. Enter 42, the story of the American legend directed by the Oscar-Winning writer/director Brian Helgeland, best known for his work on Mystic River and L.A Confidential.

42 depicts the life and times of Jackie Robinson and his historic signing with the Brooklyn Dodger being the first African-American to set foot on a Major League field. Playing Mr. Robinson himself is Chadwick Boseman, who to this point had done little on the big screen and made his living on Television and as a director for the play Deep Azure. Boseman looks the part of Jackie Robinson and looks, by the trailer, to give an amazing performance as Jackie. This was obviously one of the most trivial parts of American Baseball and stood beside the likes of Rosa Parks, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to play a part like that takes an extraordinary performance.

Starring beside Boseman, is better known actor Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey, the Hall of Fame General Manager for the Brooklyn Dodgers that signed Robinson, and became the first to break the for-said color barrier. The chemistry between the two from the trailer looks nothing short of astonishing, the conversations shown you can tell that there is adoration both ways for each character. The most breath-taking part of the trailer is the conversation between the two in which Robinson says “You want a player who has the guts to fight back?” To which Rickey replies “No I want a player who has the guts NOT to fight back.” Robinson follows up with “Give me a jersey and a number on the back, and I’ll give you the guts.”

If 42 lives up the trailer you can bet that we are in for a treat. If it lives up to the trailer, I believe we won’t only have another American Sports movie classic, but a Oscar-Worthy movie on our hands come next February. Don’t sleep on 42; this one looks destined for greatness.