It is baffling that it has taken so long for someone to make a major Hollywood film about Jackie Robinson. The baseball great breaking the color barrier in the major leagues is one of the greatest stories in the history of sport in America. This film treatment is pretty standard unfortunately. Bolstered by really good performances from Chadwick Boseman in the leading role and Harrison Ford as Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey, "42" nevertheless falls into many of the old sports movie cliches that we are all familiar with. Even in its rough portrayal of the hardships and racism Robinson encountered, the film maintains a glossy feel and generic narrative that take the sting and realism out of those scenes and out of the film in general. It's not bad at all but this story definitely deserves more.
Bryce **1/2
BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2
