Pretty solid biopic; nothing that blew me away, but I was engaged for two hours or so

Rating: 7/10 (8 September 2013)

42 was a pretty solid film about the life of Jackie Robinson. The film feels extremely polished, and the retro costumes mirrored the time period precisely, as did the baseball stadiums. They really pulled that off well in creating a retroactive atmosphere. They also told Jackie's story respectfully and accurately as they possibly could for the time period that they chose. I was always fascinated by Jackie Robinson. Even though I was born way after he sadly passed away, I loved what he did for the game. The emotional turmoil and all the tumultuous reactions Jackie garnered for himself was really hard to watch at points, even though I had a general idea of what he went through from reading about him. Life wasn't so simple in those days, and the tenacity and the courage that Jackie had to overcome all the racial hatred towards him just because he sported a different skin color than others is not only inspirational, but admirable. He really changed the game of baseball in so many ways. It wasn't so prejudiced anymore and it was looked at very differently all thanks to Jackie. The baseball action was also rather exciting stuff. Director& Writer Brian Hegland knows how to get your pulse rising.
On the downside of things, I didn't like how some things were underdeveloped, especially the character development. With a movie that is over two hours, you would think that wouldn't be an issue. Well it is.It covered the most important things about Jackie's early years, but it just felt a little rushed. Maybe making the movie a little longer would have actually helped in this case. Chadwick Boesman is certainly not a problem as Jackie. I enjoyed all the subtle nuances of his portrayal as Jackie whilst also having many of the things we liked about Jackie. It was an excellent show for the most part, and his breakdown scene after being heckled relentlessly by the unruly Ben Chapman (fantasticaly played by Alan Tudyk) was chilling. I felt for him. Harrison Ford is absolutely wonderful as Branch Rickey. As a huge Harrison Ford fan, I had forgotten how great of an actor he can be with his some of the duds he's been putting out. His scenes with Chadwick Boesman are joyous to watch. Nicole Beharie is solid as the wife, but she was way underdeveloped for my liking, and her character was rushed a lot of the time, but she did well. The rest of the cast does well, especially Lucas Black as Pee Wee Reese
Final Thoughts: I did have some issues with it, but I enjoyed it for the most part. It was a pretty entertaining biopic with many moving scenes. I don't know how baseball fans, or huge Jackie Robinson fans will feel about it, but I recommend it.
7.5/10