Decent Movie About a Baseball Great

Rating: 8/10 (1 June 2013)

It's hard to make a movie about racism in the United States. This one works. I'd have to agree with what others have already said: I did not expect this movie to be as good as it was. Sure, the whole reason I walked into the theater was to be inspired. Thankfully, "42" did not disappoint. Everyone, from Harrison Ford to the least known among them, delivered high-quality performances. Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson was a revelation. Nicole Beharie is one of the loveliest and most talented young actresses in Hollywood. ... But it's the story that really grabs you, the way the film transports you back to a time in the United States where an airport employee felt it was her God-given right to boot a black couple off an airplane to accommodate white passengers. Scenes like this hit you with a visceral force, and are shocking when you stop to think of all Robinson had to endure to do what he was really good at: baseball. But, then, that's the film's message. It wasn't just his incredible ability to play, but the courage he showed in facing down his own outrage over blatant racism, and the sense of entitlement displayed by so many white Americans. I'd heard of Jackie Robinson all of my life. After watching "42" I can finally concur: He was a true American hero.