A Formulaic and Sentimental Sports Drama that Entertains with Competent Filmmaking and Fine Performances

Rating: Null/10 (13 April 2013)

Baseball icon Jackie Robinson was the true embodiment of a misunderstood Martin Luther King Jr. quote, "judge me by the content of my character, not the color of my skin." Though Jackie Robinson became a symbol of desegregation in post-World War II America where racism, Jim Crow, and prejudice were the home battlefronts he actually was a truer symbol for talent unsought due to the blindness of ignorance. Robinson is a figure already ripe for cinematic portrayal not only due to his incredibly inspirational story but also because of his sympathetic yet complex persona. While the new biopic 42 might not be as inspirational as the actual figure of Robinson himself there is a unique balance of baseball technicality, social commentary, and uncomfortable authenticity that makes it a slightly less than typical sports biopic. Director and writer Brian Helgeland—best known for his screen writing abilities for L.A. Confidential and Mystic River—never shines away from the threats and challenges that faced Jackie Robinson on his journey making the more brutally honest portions of his script that highlights the true drama. Though 42 drifts in and out of formulaic inspirational tripe those predictable moments are few and far between and are usually forgotten once you're fully engaged in the fine performances from the actors on the screen, especially relative newcomer Chadwick Boseman. At times charming and often times challenging in its realism, 42 is a relatively admirable biopic worthy of showcasing the man Jackie Robinson was and how he struggled to become the man he needed to be. This is a film case where the more interesting story of overcoming personal flaws is shadowed by the desire to only focus on the legend itself, which is admirable though a slightly wasted opportunity. While it never reaches the classic realm of previous sports films like Rudy or gets caught up in the detailed drama of a sport like Downhill Racer, Brian Helgeland's 42 is definitely a sports film worth pursuing despite the fact that it doesn't ever live up to the towering legacy of an extraordinary man and feels as though it's a tonal replica of The Natural.
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