Review of 42

It's safe to say that, as a die-hard baseball fan, the Jackie Robinson bio-pic 42 was near the top of my must-see list for 2013. Even those who bash the sport as "slow" and "boring" know the story of how Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947. As true-life tales go, this one is almost impossible to botch. So even though the movie itself is a standard order bio-pic with all of the expected rhythms, and Robinson himself remains a half-formed character, it still evokes powerful emotions at times. Credit director/screenwriter Brian Helgeland for not "Disney-fying" the production and giving audiences a startling sense of the resentment the man was up against and how a sport that unflinchingly embodied segregation slowly inched toward acceptance.

42 begins with Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) declaring that he wants to integrate baseball, but that he doesn't need just any exceptional black ballplayer, he needs the right one, with skills and a future. Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), currently dazzling the Negro League with the Kansas City Monarchs, becomes Rickey's choice for change. With their first meeting, he reminds Robinson that although the vitriol directed at him will be unprecedented, he must remain calm and have "the guts not to fight back." Of course, this is easier said than done, and so begins Robinson's tumultuous journey toward changing history, first with the Dodgers' minor-league affiliate in Montreal, and then to the bright lights of Brooklyn. And that's Triple-A-ball compared to what the road trips in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh have to offer.

The best material 42 has to offer, unsurprisingly, takes place within the white lines of the baseball diamond. Early on, we're given a glimpse of Robinson's superior athleticism and anticipation as he plays mind games with pitchers after reaching first base. Chicks dig the long ball, so they say, but Robinson stealing bases is arguably more exciting, at least as far as this movie is presented. The most powerful material occurs mid-way through the movie as Helgeland depicts Robinson enduring brutal, pervasive racist taunts from Phillies manager Ben Chapman (Alan Tudyk). Obviously, Robinson has faced plenty of vitriol to this point in the movie from conservative white fans (in addition to neglectful treatment from airline officials and a hotel manager who bans the entire team from staying), but Chapman is the most relentless of them all. The language here actually approaches Django Unchained levels (MPAA hypocrisy note of the day: several dozen uses of the word "nigger" are okay for a PG-13, but a tiny fraction of as many "fuck"s gets an R. Go figure). This is a sports movie, but winning and losing games are (at best) secondary to overcoming adversity.

Acting is strong from the two actors who matter the most. Even though Robinson as a character doesn't quite reach three-dimensionality (his family life, for example, isn't delved into with much detail), Chadwick Boseman excels in the role nonetheless. He's an easy character to root for, and the actor's display of emotion is entirely believable. Harrison Ford disappears into the part of Branch Rickey. His mannerisms and appearance are spot-on, and this is a case where a big-name actor is legitimately acting as opposed to mailing it in. Outside of these two, others don't have much to do. Alan Tudyk fashions a perfectly despicable short-term villain who earns his comeuppance (in this case, being forced to take a photo with Robinson after the latter humiliates him by stealing two bases and scoring the go-ahead run in a win over the Phillies), and the attractive Nicole Baharie is largely underused in a standard "stand by your man" role.

Helgeland's manipulation is skillful, but there are a few scenes that strike a wrong note. A funny exchange between Robinson and teammate Ralph Branca where the latter encourages the former to shower with the rest of the team eventually leads to an awkward moment where string music kicks in on the soundtrack as Robinson steps into the shower room. Some of the scenes involving young children (one who idolizes Robinson, and another who reluctantly mimics his father's racial taunts) are diluted by some raw, unconvincing acting. Still, there are far fewer of these than there are thought-provoking and life-affirming moments, including one where Pee Wee Reese puts his arm around Robinson during pre-game warm-ups, and another where a sportswriter quickly dismisses his colleague's claim that Robinson can only play better because African-Americans have longer heelbones. In real-life politics, it's often the craziest, most heinous assertions from certain pundits that promote middle-ground individuals to take a side. So it was here, as some of the nastier attacks on Robinson's character (especially from Chapman) influence teammates and moderate baseball fans to stand up for him sooner than would've otherwise happened.

42 is a story that needed to be given mainstream Hollywood treatment. Baseball die-hards will be pleased with the film's overall depiction of the game as well as the faithful recreation of all the National League stadiums circa 1947, and those drawn to the more social aspects of the story will not be disappointed. There's nothing in this movie that couldn't be found in a 2-hour documentary, but there are very few obvious mistakes as well. Helgeland's film is not an Oscar contender, but it is respectful and uplifting, two qualities that audiences love today as much as they did when baseball really was America's Pastime.

Rating: *** out of ****