The great strength presented by this film is its dogged determination to be authentic. The recreations of the old stadiums--based upon images that hardcore baseball fans such as myself have seen dozens of times--look to be spot on and pixel perfect. Several of the actors turn in performances that are less acting and more meticulous impressions of the real-life characters they are portraying...or at least they seem that spot on, given what we know today about the people being represented. This is especially so for some of the supporting cast, in particular John C. McGinley, who does an uncanny impersonation of Red Barber's old radio calls. Certainly, Harrison Ford submerges himself in the role of Branch Rickey, in one of the finest performances of his career. Ironically, the one actor who winds up not being the spitting image of his character is Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson; Boseman lacks Robinson's high-pitched voice and thus doesn't quite fit the bill. Which is not to say that he does a poor job in the role; Boseman was asked to perform the almost thankless task of portraying an icon at his most iconic, and he acquits himself well at the job. All in all, the result is a fine sports drama that tells a great story without falling too far into the well of sports movie cliches. If it's not a home run, this movie at least comes out ahead at the end of the game.
Showing posts with label Baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baseball. Show all posts
Monday, July 17, 2017
42
The great strength presented by this film is its dogged determination to be authentic. The recreations of the old stadiums--based upon images that hardcore baseball fans such as myself have seen dozens of times--look to be spot on and pixel perfect. Several of the actors turn in performances that are less acting and more meticulous impressions of the real-life characters they are portraying...or at least they seem that spot on, given what we know today about the people being represented. This is especially so for some of the supporting cast, in particular John C. McGinley, who does an uncanny impersonation of Red Barber's old radio calls. Certainly, Harrison Ford submerges himself in the role of Branch Rickey, in one of the finest performances of his career. Ironically, the one actor who winds up not being the spitting image of his character is Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson; Boseman lacks Robinson's high-pitched voice and thus doesn't quite fit the bill. Which is not to say that he does a poor job in the role; Boseman was asked to perform the almost thankless task of portraying an icon at his most iconic, and he acquits himself well at the job. All in all, the result is a fine sports drama that tells a great story without falling too far into the well of sports movie cliches. If it's not a home run, this movie at least comes out ahead at the end of the game.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Million Dollar Arm
Damn, those Disney people sure know how to make a movie. There's absolutely nothing surprising about this flick; everything is utterly predictable, you can see every twist and turn coming a mile away. And yet it's still an enjoyable, entertaining film to watch. Twenty years ago I would have cynically dismissed a movie like this, and that may be your reaction to this one. But having lived a little and come to recognize the value of sweet, simple, charming entertainment, I can see a work like this for what it is: perhaps not something impressive, but still worthy of our attention, and worth rooting for. Also, it's nice to be reminded that people in other countries love their children, too; we don't get enough of that here in the U.S. Bottom line: no home run, but a solid single up the middle.
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