Inspirational Film!

Rating: 9/10 (6 August 2014)

42 is the inspirational tale of Jackie Robinson and how he made history in the great game of baseball by becoming the first colored man to play ball in the Major League. But this film goes beyond Jackie, it talks about the color barrier and how racism was prevalent everywhere those days. This is a story about how a special group of people rose to the challenge to overcome racism. This was a very moving film, perhaps a little too sentimental to a fault. But as biopics go, this is one of the better ones.
Brian Helgeland's film is about none other than number 42, Jackie Robinson. The Dodgers owner, Branch Rickey has come up with a risky idea and that is to break the color barrier and he chooses Jackie. But Jackie doesn't stand down to racism, and if he wants to play in the bigs, instead of fighting racism with words and fights, he fights it with baseball.
The acting is tremendous. Chadwick Boseman came out of nowhere it seems to take the lead role and he was amazing. I felt like I was actually watching the legendary Jackie Robinson. Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey likewise was amazing and Harrison's trademark gruffiness was perfect for this role. I also must mention Alan Tudyk as the racist Phillies manager. Obviously, it's nothing to celebrate but his role is how people acted back then and he perfectly captured that.
Overall, 42 is an excellent biopic that tells all the hardships Jackie Robinson had to endure on his way to greatness. Jackie being here paved the way for future foreign players and showed baseball that it was not an all-white male sport. This is an excellent, though a bit too sentimental tribute to one of the greatest heroes of all time, Jackie Robinson. I rate this film 9/10.