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42

"Christian Faith Conquers Racism and Bigotry"

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What You Need To Know:

42 tells what happens when the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team signed the first black player in the Major Leagues, Jackie Robinson, in 1947. Led by his Christian faith and the prospect of more money, Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey has long wanted to hire a black baseball player, but he wants “the right man.” Jackie Robinson just may be that person. Jackie marries his girlfriend and heads to Florida to practice with a minor league team of the Dodgers. After months of Jackie helping the team win, Rickey decides to take the leap and sign Jackie with the Dodgers. In the midst of death threats and harsh words, Jackie pushes on for the greater good.

42 is a wonderful, inspiring movie with a lot of overt Christian faith. Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson are blatant about their faith in God. Their faith inspires them to take on a huge challenge. Jackie’s marriage is portrayed as strong and moral. Adultery is demeaned, and prayer is extolled. There is, however, some foul language and many racial epithets, so caution is advised, especially for children.

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Content:

(CCC, BBB, PPP, LL, V, S, N, A, D, M) Very strong Christian, moral worldview about the first black player in big league, professional baseball in 1947, Jackie Robinson, where child prays to God, Jackie says he finds strength in God says you have to turn the other cheek like Jesus, main character states that the Bible speaks against adultery, extremely Christian song at the end mentioning Jesus, temptation and Satan, and friendly boss tells Jackie he will have to act like “our Savior” and mentions the 40 days and 40 nights Jesus is tempted; 19 obscenities and three GDs, plus many “n” words used against Jackie Robinson and black people; light violence includes pitcher throws ball right at Jackie Robinson’s head and players break out into fighting; implied adultery but condemned and kissing inside marriage; upper male nudity; light alcohol use; smoking; and, racism but rebuked.

More Detail:

42 tells what happens when the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team signed the first black player in the Major Leagues, Jackie Robinson, in 1947. 42 is an inspirational, superb movie showing how the Christian faith of both Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson helped change society.

42 stars Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey and Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson. An outspoken Christian, Rickey has long wanted to end racism in major league baseball by hiring an African American player. Led by both his faith and by the prospect of more money, Rickey searches for “the right player.” He thinks Jackie Robinson just might be that man.

At first, Jackie is put into the Dodger’s minor league team, the Montreal Royals. With excitement, Jackie calls his girlfriend, Rachel, and not only tells her he was signed, but also proposes to her. After their wedding, Jackie and Rachel go to Florida for Jackie to start pre-training with the team.

After months of Jackie helping the team win games, Rickey decides to take the leap and sign Jackie with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Being the very first time in history and still a racially divided country, the other teammates sign a petition against Jackie playing with them. Rickey doesn’t take that from his players. He tells them if they don’t want to play with Jackie, then they will be traded. Over time, the team has to learn how to work together and defeat racism.

42 is a wonderful movie with a lot of overt Christian faith. Branch Rickey is very blatant about his faith, which inspires him to take on such a challenge. Jackie also has evident faith that helps him get past all the racism, including some death threats, and move on for the greater good. The marriage between Jackie and Rachel is strong and is a good portrayal of a moral marriage. Adultery is demeaned, and prayer is extolled. Though this is the case, the movie has a fair amount of foul language, plus some racial epithets, so caution is advised for children.

42 not only includes a lot of heart and faith, it also has laughs. Chadwick Boseman plays Jackie Robinson and does a fabulous job getting down Jackie’s unique traits. Harrison Ford, playing Branch Rickey, also shows a morally upright character who’s willing to fight for what’s right. 42 is more linear than it needs to be, with no clear climax or ending point, but the overall production is highly entertaining. The filmmakers have done an excellent job with 42. They have captured the moral and spiritual essence of the story, which is that strong Christian faith can defeat evils like racism and bigotry.