From a Black Man's Perspective.

Rating: 6/10 (25 April 2013)

"42" is what you would call "a fluff piece" in journalistic terms. A very well written fluff piece, but a fluff piece nonetheless. Written and directed by Brian Helgeland, a white guy who is more known for his script writing abilities than his directorial prowess, "42" tells not so much the life story of Jackie Robinson (even though it has the ostentatious runtime of 128 minutes) but more so the story of Robinson's historic breaking of the color barrier in baseball, due to the signing by Branch Rickey, the team executive of the Brooklyn Dodgers at the time.
Even though I am giving this film a recommendation, maybe the best way to describe it would be with the term "hokey entertainment". From the initial sappy score, to some cringe inducing dialogue along the way, at first glance "42" would seem like something you could see on ABC Family during Black History Month.
Not to say "42" isn't entertaining because it is, but do I think a movie about Jackie Robinson should have been this tame? The answer is a resounding no! And therein lies the problem. I'm no historian, but in a movie concerning integration in the 40's, it is nothing less than a distracting inaccuracy (which took me completely out of this film multiple times) when at no point did I fear for Robinson's life. Therefore, I don't think I'm making a grand leap in saying that some of the more graphic material was Disney'd up, in order to make "42" a movie for the whole family. In short, the stakes here are disappointingly low for this type of material. On the other hand, I saw a Meet the Press interview with Jackie Robinson's wife, who claimed that she loved the movie because of its "authenticity". That said, throughout this overlong film there are flashes of sheer compelling grittiness, which act like shining beacons of a movie I wished this could have been.
The Acting: The acting from the two leads is pretty impressive for different reasons. Virtual unknown Chadwick Boseman (who plays Jackie Robinson) is exceptionally good here, demanding attention whenever he is on screen. I am very excited to see what the future holds for him. As for Harrison Ford, he devours the scenery with his portrayal of Branch Rickey, in his most intriguing performance since "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade". Oh, and I should make mention that John C. McGinley plays Red Barber (the Brooklyn Dodgers radio broadcaster at the time) and is part of undoubtedly one of the funniest comic bits this side of "Best in Show".
Helgeland's Direction: There is really nothing special looking in "42" when focusing on scenes where characters are sitting around chatting. But EVERY SINGLE scene on the baseball field will have audiences on the edge of their seats. The way the camera follows Boseman as he runs the base path is a technique I've never seen before.
But, when I speak of "grittiness", I am definitely speaking of a few scenes in particular. The most prominent being the heckling scene where the Phillies manager, played with gusto by Alan Tudyk, showers Jackie Robinson with "N-bombs", as Robinson stands in the batter's box during a game. This is essentially the best sequence of the film, because it is one of the only scenes which transcends the hokeyness; giving audiences a cold dose of realism. Too bad scenes like this were so few and far between.
Final Thought: In the end, I wanted a pre-African American civil rights movement movie with more bite (or maybe one directed by Spike Lee) and instead I got something that while not forgettable, is no "Malcolm X". On the other hand, I wasn't bored like I was during "Red Tails" or offended like I was throughout "The Blind Side".
Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland
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