42

Quentin: Today we went to see 42 and we took our little brother Cade with us.

Cade: Little? I’m going to be 15 next month.

Jason: Not to mention you’ve grown four inches in the last year. You’re taller than me now.

Jake: What did you think of the movie, Cade?

Cade: It was cool. I like movies about the olden days. Travis knows the entire history of baseball, and he’s always telling me stories about the greats, so it was cool to see them come to life. I liked seeing Ebbets Field too, ‘cause it’s gone now. It was funny to watch Indiana Jones as Branch Rickey. And the guy who played Jackie Robinson did a good job.

Jake: Chadwick Boseman.

Cade: Yeah.

Quentin: We took you because, let’s face it, we don’t know anything about baseball.

Jason: Or Jackie Robinson.

Jake: Well, you know he was the first African-American player in Major League Baseball, right?

Jason: Yes, I know that. But I didn’t’ know any of the details.

Quentin: I don’t think you need to know anything about baseball or Jackie Robinson to enjoy this movie.

http://youtu.be/iP3G4E2ael8

Jason: It doesn’t have a reading list like Spring Breakers?

Cade: <laughs> Ben told me Blaine ripped you three a new a-hole.

Jake: Kind of. But I called Stanton this week to see what he thought. I wanted the opinion of a professional.

Quentin: People don’t know who Stanton is.

Jake: That’s okay. They’ll find out in July.

Cade: What did he say?

Jake: He thinks Blaine had a point and is obviously very smart.

Jason: But?

Jake: He said you shouldn’t need a PhD to understand a movie.

Quentin: Jesus, I wish I’d thought of that. Okay, now let’s get back to 42.

Jason: I loved this movie. It was exactly what I expected.

Quentin: I think it qualifies as one of the greatest American stories of all time. There’s no stretch required to call Jackie Robinson a hero.

Cade: Branch Rickey too. Robinson gave him half the credit.

Jake: It’s a story about human beings at their finest.

Quentin: And bravest.

Jason: But it’s hard for me to imagine a time when African-American players weren’t allowed into professional sports. The racism in the movie looked almost cartoonish, even though I know it was totally real.

Jake: I felt the same way. When the coach from the opposing team is standing there yelling non-stop abuse at the guy, it’s just hard to imagine anything like that ever happening.

Cade: But it did.

Jason: I liked that it didn’t paint him as a saint, though. They didn’t gloss over his struggles.

Cade: Hmm, well…

Quentin: You disagree?

Cade: Maybe.

Jake: Jump in there, Cade. Stir things up a little.

Cade: You guys crack me up.

Jason: Did they change things for the movie?

Cade: I don’t know. Travis could probably answer that question better. I know the big points, like Leo Durocher’s famous speech to the Dodger players and Pee Wee Reese putting his arm around Jackie in Cincinnati.

Jake: Pee Wee Reese played by Lucas Black.

Cade: The guy from the golf movie.

Jake: Seven Days in Utopia.

Cade: Yep. I like that movie. Anyway, baseball fans will be looking for those legendary moments and the movie doesn’t let them down. But they left stuff out.

Quentin: Like what?

Cade: The agreement was only for three years.

Jake: You mean his contract with the team?

Cade: No. I mean the agreement he made with Branch Rickey to turn the other cheek, to not answer or fight back. It was for three years. They never mention that in the movie.

Jason: So after three years, did he start to fight back?

Cade: Yep. He fought with umps, he fought with the press and white players. And if they had showed some of that, I think it would have made him look more human. But they only told the story of his rookie year, so I guess that’s why they left it out.

Quentin: So there’s more to the story?

Cade: Yep. A lot more. He never really recovered from all the abuse and Travis told me he died of a broken heart. So he had lots of courage and everything, but it really zapped him big time.

Jake: This movie paints a very romantic picture of him.

Jason:  It’s a full-on Hollywood treatment.

Jake: The music swells as he rounds third base.

Jason: In slow motion.

Quentin: I was choked up through most of it, though.

Cade: You’re such a pussy.

Quentin: Look, you little moron, when I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you.

Cade: You’re not supposed to call me that.

Quentin: I’m sorry, little bro. Do you forgive me? Pretty please?

Cade: Now you’re just being stupid.

Quentin: You are a disruptive force at this roundtable.

Cade: Jake told me to jump in and stir things up.

Jake: Okay, that’s enough.

Jason: Why? They’re just getting started.

Jake: I’ve been hanging around you guys for two years, and I still don’t get the brother bickering.

Quentin: It’s harmless. Right, Cade?

Cade: Right, you douche bag.

Quentin: See?

Jason: Anything else about the movie?

Jake: Yes. I thought it was interesting that there was discomfort about him showering with white guys, because one of the arguments against openly gay athletes is the “shower problem.”

Jason: Why can’t they build a locker room with a shower for each guy? They can afford multi-million dollar contracts, but they can’t afford individual showers?

Jake: So Cade, since you actually play sports, would you be comfortable showering with a gay teammate?

Cade: I’m the wrong person to ask. I’m surrounded by gay guys 24/7. But I wouldn’t give a rat’s ass one way or the other.

Quentin: Any final words?

Jason: If you know the story, you should see the movie. If you don’t know the story, you should definitely see the movie.

Quentin: That’s a good final word. Thanks, Cade. You brought your usual gravitas to the proceedings today.

Cade: Shut up, you dork.