Before I get into this review, I want to say that it was a really important thing to make a movie about Jackie Robinson. The entire anti-segregation movement was an unparalleled moment in American history where people stood up against redneck hicks and started to push back old white people whose grandpas had fought for the Confederates during the Civil War. That said, 42 is pretty one-dimensional. I've always said that a great movie needs a great villain, and this simply didn't have that. It's the same problem I had with the aforementioned Django Unchained, which made its villains so repulsive that the audience gets some really weird thrills out of seeing their heads get blown off.
Clearly, 42 didn't have any head-blowing-off-ness (but I would like to see Tarantino's version of the story). What it did have was 120 minutes of feel-good moments where Robinson steals bases, hits home runs, and laughs in racists hick's faces. And it's a LOT less interesting than it sounds. After watching virtually two hours of the same set of scenes OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, there is literally not an ounce of suspense.
This movie could have had great moments, where Robinson is attacked outside of the baseball park by racists, or where his wife actually has some DOUBTS about what he's doing, instead of being an emotionless prop who does nothing but give little motivational speeches every ten minutes. But that's just not the kind of film it was. It's a PG-13 movie about a much heavier subject. It was canned, corny, and featured some incredibly crappy acting from some of the supporting cast.
Of course, Harrison Ford and Alan Tudyk don't fall into that category. It was good to see Ford playing the old guy he really is instead of riding horses, fighting aliens and Russians, and teaming up with Shiia Lebouf. Plus, Alan Tudyk (who Firefly fans will remember as Hoban Washburn) plays the racist coach for the Philadelphia Phillies. Which is really interesting to watch, seeing as he's married to a black woman in Firefly... actually, go watch that show instead of this movie. It's better.
In short, 42 was entertaining enough, but a story like this deserves better treatment. Hard to believe that the man who once wrote the screenplays for LA Confidential and Salt directed this Disney-like feel-good movie. How the mighty have fallen. On the plus side, Chadwick Boseman is perfectly cast as Jackie Robinson. If only the other actors had put in as much effort as he did.
This movie has some really great aspects, but most of it is bogged down by the treacly and sentimental treatment given to it, and the story is done a great disservice. All of the characters feel hollow and emotionless, not to mention that most of the movie is decidedly unmemorable. I understand that fans of baseball or black history will appreciate what this film is trying to do, but it just doesn't do the story of Jackie Robinson justice. It's a bland, unfeeling, and occasionally inept film that follows a predictable story arc and features some of the worst dialogue ever written. Bottom line: If you liked August Rush, you'll love this.
Final score for 42? I'll be generous and give it 4/10 stars. Unless you're a baseball fan, this isn't really a must-see film. And I'm sure I'll get flak from people who say that it's an important Civil Rights movie, but seriously? We're making movies about Jackie Robinson and not Rosa Parks or MLK? It's like Robinson himself says in the film-- "I'm just a ballplayer."
