42 Reviews

A stand up and cheer classic. It's rousing entertainment at its absolute finest. A special kind of movie going pleasure that just hits you to the core. A powerfully effective, deeply moving, incredibly inspiring and totally astonishing movie experience. A triumph that's a total home run of spectacular entertainment. A deep, strong and compelling story that's filled with heart, power, humor and brilliant performances. Chadwick Boseman gives a breakthrough performance that shines with absolute excellence and star power. Harrison Ford is absolutely magnificent, he gives one of the best performances of his career. Ford and Boseman steal home. An exhilarating drama that's thrilling and unforgettable. This movie soars and rises higher and higher. Biopics like this are rarely as good as advertised, but this one blows away expectations and becomes one of the best biopics ever made.

One word.....impactful. I was sort of skeptical on how well an amateur actor could play someone as large as Jackie Robinson, but Chadwick Boseman killed the role. Knowing a good amount of baseball history, I appreciated how on-point the detail was in the film. From Ebbets field, to the Polo grounds, to the uniforms....everything was visually pleasing. I really don't have a negative thing to say about 42, and I believe it should definitely have a higher score than its current 77%.

Worth seeing

"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

Follow me on Twitter @moviesmarkus

A solid movie if not a little too unoriginal with its heroic pathos. The film's strongest aspects definitely come from its two leads as they fully assume their roles and take control of an otherwise common sports movie.

The sports biopics genre has been overdone many times before, and we know most of them will play out. 42 is the story of baseball legend Jackie Robinson. What makes this biopic different from others is that the story of the person was one of perseverance in the face of discrimination. The film has an effective and talented cast of actors, and Harrison Ford delivers one of his strongest performances in many years. However the actor who steals the show is Chadwick Boseman in the role of Jackie Robinson. The strength of his performance alone makes this one of the better sports dramas in recent memory, and those looking for a very entertaining and well acted biopic will surely enjoy 42. Although at times it does rely on the traditional ingredients of the genre like being inspirational and such, the story is real, and it is told in such a way that it is different due to the tone of story. The cast make the film what it is, and every actor brings something to the screen. 42 at times relies on the sports drama clichés that have plagued many films like this in the past, but it tells a totally different and much compelling story than others in the genre. Although not a perfect film and it could have been improved in some areas, this is well worth seeing. So far, I would say that 42 is one of the best films of the year, and the cast definitely pull off something great. 42 redeems the sheer awful and mediocre that we've seen being released the last few months, and I thought that this was one of the most refreshing genre films in quite some time. Even if you're not a fan of the sport of Baseball, this one is worth seeing as it tells a compelling real life story of overcoming odds. Jackie Robinson was an icon, and he became the first African-American player to play in the Major Leagues. Although this isn't a truly unique Sports drama, the fact that it tells the story of an extraordinary athlete makes this truly a standout picture that soars above the countless others in the genre.

Though the film can be hokey at times, 42 succeeds thanks to its phenomenal ensemble, well told true story, and creating a film that will interest as many people who are not baseball fans as those who are.

Stunning performances by all involved. Chadwick Boseman, as the hero, who would become number 42 is powerful. Harrison Ford challenges the status quo as Dodgers' general manager Branch Rickey. Several familiar faces from television play character roles. Other less well known actors such as Nicole Beharie as Robinson's wife, Andre Holland as reporter and chronicler Wendell Smith, Hamish Linklater as ballplayer Ralph Branca, and Lucas Black as ballplayer Pee Wee Reese stand out especially. It is uplifting to see bigotry and racism overcome even though it has historically been too slow of a process. Despite occasional corny dialog, Helgeland has composed a strong narrative that traces Jackie Robinson's path to baseball's major league through winning the World Series in the late '40s. We only get to see minimal scenes of his personal life, but seeing him accepted in time as a full team member of the Dodgers by his teammates is the sort of inspirational thing that still makes baseball America's pastime.

42 is the legendary story about Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in Major League baseball and change the game forever. I really enjoyed this film as it shows what life was like for one of the most iconic athletes ever to play the game of baseball. He was ridiculed, threatened, and went through physical pain to achieve his goals and at the same time changed sports forever. This film does suffer from some occasional clichés and unintentional laughs that made it feel a bit silly at times, but the film always gets back to what is important, baseball. It really demonstrates that Jackie Robinson was a hero in more ways than one and helped many people look past their segregated beliefs. When he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 many of his teammates refused to play with him and even signed a petition to remove him from the team, but due to Robinson's courage to ignore ignorant people, he was able to control his emotions and soon gained the respect and friendship of many of his teammates. Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford both lead the film with truly incredible performances, and I would go as far to say this is Ford's best performance since the 90's. However, I must say that the movie ends on a very strange note that will leave the audience wanting more and wondering why it ended the way it did, but overall it gets its message across to the audience and everyone will be going home and researching Jackie Robinson on Wikipedia. If you love baseball and history, I can almost guarantee you will find something great about this film.



The story follows Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), an African-American baseball player who is given the chance by Brooklyn Dodgers team executive Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) to play Major League baseball. The film shows his struggles to ignore prejudice and how he never intended to change the game of baseball, he just wanted to play baseball.

The plot of the film does a good job at introducing its characters, showing the power behind baseball, and showing how Jackie Robinson had to control his temper so that he could prove that he was worthy to be on the Brooklyn Dodgers. Sports movies have a tendency to be inspirational, but I believe that 42 tries so hard to be inspiring that it stumbles at times to be true and compelling drama. The film is also restricted by its PG-13 script to really do any damage and show the true horrors of segregation that many other films have shown the past few years, but nonetheless, this film does still show the humiliation and mental torture that blacks had to go through. There is a significant scene in the film where Ben Chapman yells slurs and racist comments at Robinson while he is up to bat, and as he screams the N-word over and over I had never fully realized what it was like to be ridiculed by evil men like that. Robinson had to keep his cool and remain respectful all that time without losing his temper, which gave me a great respect for his as a character and a human being. Most protagonists in a sport film are usually centered on the coach, but great films like "Rudy" or this show the mental stability of the player and how they must work harder than anyone else to achieve greatness. Branch Rickey was one of the finest examples of a great American than I have seen in a long time, he inspires the film with his speeches and knowledge about baseball and life and Ford pulls it off like a master. I liked how the story also shows how Robinson's fellow teammates didn't respect or like him at first, but as many began to know him they came to love and respect him and even call him friend. I love the game of baseball, and the film never forgets to show us what talent Robinson had on the field and with a bat in his hand, and although I wished they had shown a big climatic game to finish off the film, this story still brought me back to the old days with great baseball films like "Bull Durham" or "A League of their Own."

The cast is one of the best highlights of the film, as it shows off all the great talents of its actors. Chadwick Boseman pulls off the performance as one of the most iconic figures in the history of baseball, and gives him a sympathetic and powerful touch. Boseman has a certain personality to his performance that audience members love to root for and love to cheer on, just like a real athlete. He was able to perfectly capture the image of an athlete and make Robinson look like a hero in the face of baseball. Harrison Ford has had a very long time since he gave us something great, but luckily he pulls it off here. Ford never loses character and we almost completely forget he is playing a character or that he is Ford at all, he gets lost in his character and that is why the audience will love him. He is smart, funny, and gives Robinson a friend and a mentor. Andre Hollan gives a nice performance in the film as Robinson's journalist, and I think he stood up with other great performances in the cast. Nicole Beharie has some occasional cliché dialogue, but she is a very likable and kind guardian angel throughout the film as she helps Robinson never lose sight of what's important. Other performances from Lucas Black, Alan Tudyk, Christopher Meloni, and John C. McGinley are also very good and noteworthy. Overall a very good group of actors that all combine to make this a very good film.

42 is that rare gem that we rarely see in cinema these days, as it not only shows legendary figure but also a man that never gave up to prove to the world he was something more. Director Brian Helgeland crafts a thought provoking sports drama that never ceases to bring interest and beauty to the screen. He is able to use his actors to their full extent and then some, and was also able to write a script that capture the true magic behind baseball and the cruelty of segregation. There is a moment in the film near the beginning where Jackie Robinson is denied access by a man to go to the bathroom at a public rest stop as their bus is getting gas, and he stands up for himself and tells the man that he can go to the bathroom or they will purchase their gas somewhere else. This is where Helgeland beautifully shows that Robinson was a leader, an idealist, and a great man in general. I am positive that the script attempts to make the audience believe he was a perfect man and had no bad qualities about him, which I think would've made it a more interesting film to see his bad traits and what made him an imperfect person. But I believe he was generally a very kind and good man who didn't want anything more than to love his family and play baseball. We see many inspiring sports dramas nowadays and at a point in the future I believe many people will begin to dislike them due, but I still enjoy to see films like this that show the true passion and love that has driven baseball for all these years. This is a film that will lift your spirits, make you believe in love and friendship, and idolizes one of the greatest men ever to play the game of baseball.

42 is the story of Jackie Robinson and if you are an avid Baseball fan then you probably know this story already (or at least the major aspects of it). What 42 does is expand on the story and allows you to vicariously live or at the very least you can watch it with your own two eyes.

Jackie Robinson was the first black man in Major League Baseball and while you might expect Hollywood to lionize him, Director Brian Helgeland does his best to show Jackie as a flawed human who wasn't an angel but he did have to put up with an awful lot of punishment from fans other teams and sometimes even his own teammates.

Chadwick Boseman plays Robinson fantastically from the sound of his voice down to Jackie's batting stance, swing, and the way Jackie ran the bases. Harrison Ford was shockingly good as Branch Rickey (the owner of the Dodgers and the man who signed Robinson to a deal). For me this might be the best thing I've seen Harrison Ford in since the last time he played Indiana Jones.

Everything looks and feels pretty authentic. John C. McGinley shows up as Red Barber the long time radio announcer for the Dodgers and is absolutely superb matching Red's style and sound. The Baseball it self looks well done and the creative minds behind the Baseball scenes have said that they went out of their way to look at the actual box scores of those games and shot the scenes according to what really happened all the way down to balls and strikes. The attention to detail has to be commended.

Overall this is an excellent film and a great tribute to one of Baseball's iconic players. I thought that the end of the film started to race towards "cheesy" to much for my liking but that won't ruin what was a great movie.

I have a problem with mediocrity, especially when it comes to the story of a man who was so much more. There is nothing really wrong with 42. Other than being a little heavy-handed in it's inspiration, it's a perfectly fine little movie. But there is nothing amazing about it. Nothing new and exciting. Nothing to last like the legacy of the man whose story it tells. There are simply better versions of this movie out there. Before you watch "42", go watch "61*". Billy Crystal's story about Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle is much more emotional and heartfelt. It's a truly great film and one of the best sports moves of all time. But if it's boundary-breaking you're after, even "Remember the Titans" is a better crafted-tale. "42" just doesn't end up amounting to much that we didn't already know and appreciate about the man. Jackie Robinson deserves better, and so do we.

While it may be a well above average movie, every scene felt a little too safe. For this film to be great, it needed to have delved deeper into Jackie Robinson as a character. Instead, far too often we do not see the internal struggles of Robinson and see what I believe was a softening of his story. But, if I had to pick a person to put on a pedestal in such a movie, Jackie Robinson would be high on my list.
Putting that aside, there are many aspects to like in this movie. My two favorites were the performance of Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey, who steals every scene he is in (in my opinion), and the baseball scenes, which are all wonderfully shot. Also, Alan Tudyk should be praised for his portrayal of Ben Chapman, a very racist manager of the Phillies in that era. All in all, the movie is worth seeing, although it might not meet your expectations.

The furthest thing from a sequel to Steven Spielberg's 1941, 42 instead presents a history lesson worth watching even if the script oftentimes gets preachier than a convention of evangelical ministers on a Sunday. Hell, if Jackie Robinson's historic tale of courage, perseverance, and masterful skill was presented as a silent movie, it would still be well worth the price of admission. Presented as is, however, it occasionally gets heavier handed than a stenographer with elephantiasis. Boasting some ace performances and direction that relishes '40s period detail, the movie's pontification doesn't stop this feel-good drama from at least rounding third.

In the PG-13-rated true story 42, director Brian Hegeland (Payback, A Knight's Tale) gives moviegoers the life story of Robinson (Boseman) and his history-making and color barrier-breaking signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers under the tutelage of team executive Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford).

Despite hitting all of his marks and believably breathing life into a facsimile of a true blue American hero, Boseman gives the 2nd best interpretation of the Robinson story. 1950's The Jackie Robinson Story actually starred Robinson himself though, so this newfound talent still deserves high praise. Covered in prosthetics and thinning hair, Ford almost lays it on as thick...but playing Rickey larger than life often works to the drama's advantage because the script often lays it on thicker. Having made his mark as a screenwriter (LA Confidential, for which he won as Oscar, and Mystic River) Hegeland should know better than to beat audiences over the head with awed speech-making and a swelling soundtrack.

Bottom line: Good sport.

Home Run for 42!!!! Great film. Definitely Oscar worthy. Too bad they released the film in April rather than December for Oscar consideration. The film reminded me of movies like The Natural, Field of Dreams, Remember the Titans, Glory Road, and The Express. The film is well written and directed.

Chadwick Boseman is great in the film. Harrison Ford is unrecognizable here. This is one of his best performances. Lucas Black, Alan Tudyk, and Christopher Meloni deliver fine supporting work here.

I definitely recommend this film.

For anyone who hasn't heard about Jackie Robinson, this film is for you. Try reading a few articles and books alongside this to get some background on just why he's considered the man who drove baseball into the modern era of what we consider the game to be today.

The film is up and down with the timing of some events in the beginning, but it settles in nicely chronologically after the hiccups. There are also a few too many cheesy lines that makes the film awkwardly juxtaposed to the cussing and racism it portrays.

Acting wise, Chadwick does an excellent job as the star of the show overshadowing Harrison Ford and some of the other supporting actors. Not necessarily a baseball movie as much as a puff piece for Robinson.

"42" is a phenomenal sports film about Jackie Robinson, a legend not only in baseball, but in life, however, the film does not reach much further than that. Going into the film, it reeked of Academy Award potential, with strong performances and a diligent message. However, Helgeland makes some poignant decisions that leave the film missing that special something to make it an Oscar contender. With the historical representation of segregation of the whites and blacks, films like "The Help" handle the subject in a much more cinematic way, leaving "42" feeling forced and nothing we haven't seen before. The story of Jackie Robinson is inspirational and the screenplay does it justice, but with a little more effort and perhaps a different approach this film could have echoed into the Oscar pools. Chadwick Boseman is a strong leading man, capturing the essence of Robinson. He plays out each emotion as you would expect, but again, never carries it over to astonishing. Harrison Ford pours himself in the role of Dodger GM Branch Rickey, with a grisly voice and a trove of life lessons, not just for Robinson, but for the world. Even the gorgeous Nicole Beharie steals the show, hopefully presenting herself for future Academy-worthy work. "42" is the first great sports film released in recent memory, and one that will probably catch fire like "The Natural" and "Field Of Dreams". It has universal appeal for all ages and though it will never have an Oscar nomination attached to it, it will sill live on.

It's an ultra Hollywood-ized depiction of Jackie Robinson's struggles and triumphs as he became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. But I couldn't help but enjoy the hell out of it. It's one of those movies that, if I saw it as a kid, it would have been on constant repeat in my VCR... haha.