Matty's Movies: "42"

I want you imagine something with me if you can. Seriously, I want you to close your eyes and imagine this. Alright, don't close your eyes, otherwise you won't be able to read what I am typing right now.

I want you to imagine that you've just gone through spring training with your favorite baseball team ever since you were a child. It doesn't matter what team it is. It could be any team. It could be your beloved Boston Red Sox, the Seattle Pilots, the Montreal Expos, or even team that wears the pinstripes, the New York Yankees.

Now, I want you to imagine it's opening day of the Major League Baseball season. Can you see it? Can you see the freshly groomed field? Can you smell that perfectly cut grass? Can you feel the electricity in the air? Imagine you're sitting in the dugout for the first time ever, with your teammates, joking around, just trying to stay calm. Can you see it?

Imagine the public dress announcer starts going through the opening day ceremonies. He rattles off your coaches names first, then the trainers, and then the batboys, each running out and standing on the first base line.

Now it's time to introduce the players. You must be so nervous.  It's your first day in the "bigs". You don't have butterflies in your stomach, you've got vampire bats in there! Can you feel it? Can you feel the intense emotion around you? The crowd is all fired up. They love their baseball, and they love root-root-rooting for the home team.

 Can you see it?

"Batting first and playing center field: Steve Baggadonuts!"

"The crowd goes wild!"

"Batting second and playing second base: Buford "Maddog"

"Tannen!"

There you are, standing on the dugout steps, listening to the crowd go absolutely insane for your teammates. You're so nervous you have to check your uniform to see if you made a boom-boom. You're two batters away... Can you see it? Can you see how awesome it must be to play in the big leagues? Can you feel it?

"Batting third and playing left field: Billy 'Bugeyes' Finklesteen!"

Woooooo! The stadium is ready to fall to the ground. Can you see it? Can you see how fanatical these fans are? Can you feel it?

Now it's your turn. It's your first time ever being introduced to the home crowd. Can you feel those vampire bats screaming around in your stomach? Crazy isn't it?

Can you see it?

"Batting fourth and playing first base, rookie sensation: John Q. Public!" (That's you!) Wa-hooo! Yippie! Wooooo! The crowd is going absolutely 'hoopie' for you! The ball park is literally about to crumble around you. These fans love you so much! Can you see it? Can you feel it? These fans haven't even seen one plate appearance from you yet, but they've already made up their mind. They LOVE you!

You run out to the first base line, waving your hat in the air to your adoring fans. All your teammates circle around you, patting you on your head and slapping you on your butt. (OK, that's weird.)

Can you see it? Can you see it?

This must be the best feeling in your young life. You've made it to the big leagues. All your hard work has paid off. You are now a professional baseball player!

Can you see it? Can you see it?

Now I want you to imagine it's 1947...... and you're black.

Can you see it? Can you see it now? Not the same feeling, is it? It sucks, doesn't it.

And all this just because of your skin color... and nothing else.

Well, that's what Jackie Robinson had to deal with. And it's magnificantly played out for you in the incredible film "42"... I will tell you a little bit about it with this review.

"42" tells the historically correct story of the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers and their owner's quest to intergrate blacks into baseball, starting with Jackie Robinson. It doesn't really tell too much about Jackie's beginnings or much about later on in his life. It really focuses on that "47" season.

Branch Rickey (stupendously portrayed by Han Solo, I mean Harrison Ford) is the team executive and owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers. He wants to break the color barrier in professional baseball, so he signs this young stud named Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) to play for him.

Rickey knows that he is going to get some serious backlashing for this, but he doesn't care. He just needs to find the right man for the job. Robinson is exactly the right man. Robinson has guts and also has fire, but miraculously, he seems to keep his temper under control. One of the best lines in the film is when Jackie says to Rickey, "You give me a number, and I'll give you the guts."

I think everyone needs to see this film, sports fans and non-sports fans alike. This isn't a movie about baseball, its a movie about equal rights and humanity. (or lack of). I don't want to tell you the whole story, so I'll do what I always do and tell you what I thought of the film.

First, Jackie Robinson is my hero. He should be everyone's hero. What this man went through, no man should ever go through. When he would get up to bat, pitchers would throw at his head. Fans would spit on him. Beer bottles were hurled at him. Many, many people in the crowd would call him the N-word over and over again. He'd get hate mail daily, and he and his family would have death threats placed upon them. And that was on a good day.

Many of his teammates hated him. (for NO REASON AT ALL, except for that he was black.) Some wouldn't even play the game just because he was on their team. Other teams were much worse. Phillies manager and loud-mouthed racist, Ben Chapman, (well ACTED by Alan Tudyk) would stand at the top of the dugout when Jackie was at bat and would repeatedly throw N-bombs at him the whole time. You could tell Jackie was pissed, but he knew he couldn't do anything... except beat him on the field with his batting and his base running.

I felt so bad for Mr. Robinson. But he was a much better man than me. (and so many other people in this world.) He broke the color barrier and paved the way for so many African-American ball players today, like one of my favorite ball players ever, Ken Griffey Jr. Personally, I don't think I could've taken the punishment that he took. I think I would've taken that bat to Coach Chapman's skull if he were screaming those obscenities at me... And that's why I write movie reviews, because I am not one-tenth of the man that #42 was. That man had big shoulders, and he carried a lot of weight on them.

I do want to talk about Branch Rickey too. He was not liked by a lot of the other owners for doing this, but he had the guts to do what was right and I love him for that. He said it wasn't about black and white, it was about the green. But you end up realizing it was all about desegregating the game. He was awesome, and Harrison Ford's portrayal of him will garner him an Oscar nod come awards season.

Fact.

Another great acting job goes to Lucas Black. He played Pee-Wee Reese, shortstop for the Dodgers.  All he wanted to do was play ball, and that was all Jackie wanted to do too. There's a great scene with the two of them arm-and-arm together, and it just made me well up. Actually, there are so many scenes that'll bring tears to your eyes. Especially when he gets his #42 jersey for the first time.

And finally, Chadwick Boseman. This kid was the 'heart and soul' of the film... and he had to be because he was playing the 'heart and soul' of baseball, (and America) Jackie Robinson. He had Robinson's mannerisms down pat. He had his batting stance and swing perfected, and his base running (and stealing) was spot on. And he had that smile. What a smile. You may ask how do I know this? Aren't I too young? Well, because for ten years I worked in a convienence store named "Dukes". Duke was the owner.

Duke's favorite team was the Brooklyn Dodgers. Duke and I would talk about the Brooklyn Dodgers all the time. I saw pictures of Duke Snyder, Pee-Wee Reese, Gil Hodges, Roy Campanella and of course Jackie Robinson plastered all over that store every single day. So yeah, I know a few things about the guy that wore #42 from those great days down at the old local hangout (and my place of employment).

Sorry, I got off track. Anyways, Boseman deserves some accolades for his portrayal of the strongest man ever in professional sports. (Oscar nod? I think so.)

I loved "42", and I love Jackie Robinson. Being a professional movie reviewer, I can safely say, "Get the hell out to the theatre and see this film or I'll take you deep!" You'll thank me come Oscar time.

Matty W. Kelley, Norwood Patch, reporting.

"Fun Fact": In 1936, Mack Robinson (Jackie's brother) won an Olympic silver medal in the 200-meter dash... Losing only to Jesse Owens.

Sorry, but there will not be a "Fun Matty Fact" today. It's been a very hard week here in Boston with the Marathon Bombings,  senseless deaths, countless injuries, dynamic heroism, city unity, and also subsequent capture of suspect #2 (whatever his disgusting name is).

Instead, I would like to thank all the police officers, fire fighters, EMS, first responders, all the volunteers, and just the incredible people who pushed fear out of their system and ran towards danger to help our fellow Bostonians. It was the most incredible thing I have ever seen and you all deserve.... well, you deserve everything.

This atrocious terroristic act also brought the entire country (and world) together. I personally would like to thank so many people from far away for checking in on me and my family. It was so nice to hear from "The Iceman" from Philly, and Karen Bell from Canada. It was also a very sweet to hear from a lovely woman named Jessica Davis, editor for the Malibu (California) Patch. I mean, we've never even met, yet she cared enough to send me an email on the night of the bombings just to wish me and my family well.

Its people like this that make the world a wonderful place to live in. Let's not let a couple "bad ears of corn" ruin the whole hoe-down.

Boston Strong.