The Jackie Robinson biopic 42 was generally a crowd pleaser. It earned a 79 percent positive rating from film critics on Rotten Tomatoes. (Here’s our review from 2013.) Baseball fans seemed to enjoy the film, as did those who follow the game’s history and one of its most important figures.
But Chris Rock apparently didn’t care for 42. Or at the very least, the character he played in his film Top Five, Andre Allen, didn’t like it. The movie is being released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 17, and included among the special features are some deleted scenes. In this one, Allen lays out his problems with 42 during a stand-up routine.
Top Five appeared to be a semi-autobiographical account of Rock’s life as a comedian and actor. It was certainly a critique of the movie industry. So it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that Allen’s thoughts on 42 accurately reflect Rock’s criticisms for the film. Perhaps Rock just thought it might be funny to rip a film so many people to enjoy. However, it’s not like this was golden material.
Rock does touch on a truth about the role of white saviors in civil rights movies. But maybe the idea was more to show how comedians sometimes try stuff out on stage to see if audiences respond. That could be giving this scene too much credit. It’s easy to see why it was deleted from the movie. It doesn’t quite break the funny barrier, does it?
