42 (2013) * *

Directed by:  Brian Helgeland

Starring:  Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Alan Tudyk, Nicole Beharie, Christopher Meloni

42 tells the story of Jackie Robinson's journey to becoming the first black baseball player to play in the major leagues.    However, it doesn't bring it to life.    The bells and whistles of many biopics are present, including the triumphant musical score which underlines anything positive, but I felt 42 was lacking.   It is well-made and has its heart in the right place, but it left me at a loss to truly care.

As 42 opens, Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey (Ford) is discussing his intent to have a black player on his club.    His underlings are horrified by the suggestion.    "If you break an unwritten rule..." says his assistant .  He said more than that but I just don't remember it off the top of my head.    Rickey's initial reason for the move seems mostly financial, but later Rickey reveals more personal reasons for wanting to help a black player.     I don't know if such a thing really ever happened to Rickey, but it seems to have been inserted for extra character motivation when none was  needed.     Harrison Ford is the strongest here he has been a long time.     He is colorful and we respond to him when he's on screen.    He makes it known in no uncertain terms that he supports Robinson and deals harshly with those that don't.    Robinson made his major league debut on April 15, 1947 after spending a year wowing in the minors.     Rickey makes it known to Jackie that his job is not to fight back despite having a natural inclination to do so.    Rickey's belief, and likely the correct one, is that Robinson would get worse publicity for fighting back against his tormentors and thus ruining the future for blacks in baseball.  

Strangely, the least effective performance in the movie is Number 42 himself (Boseman).   Boseman is a strong physical presence and looks a lot like Robinson, but when he's on screen there just isn't a lot there.    He is bland.   I know I'm supposed to like him because he's Jackie Robinson, but I wasn't able to see what was inside.   Boseman plays Robinson as all intensity and little character, which seems to be how he was written.   Aside from one instance in which he smashes a baseball bat after enduring racist taunts by Phillies manager Ben Chapman (Tudyk), Robinson doesn't reveal much.    There are no scenes written of any substance in which Robinson talks to others about how he feels.     Perhaps writer-director Helgeland believed that Robinson didn't need to be written as a character because we know the story of him going in.

Considering the racial climate in 1947, I never got any realistic sense of the unrelenting pressure Robinson faced as a pioneer.    There are taunts, other players saying "You don't belong here", and fans booing, but little else.    Oh, and in at least five scenes, the catcher signals to his pitcher to throw at Robinson's head and even hitting him once, but I think one or two scenes would've been sufficient.     Regardless, Robinson doesn't seem to be shouldering any more burden than the other Dodger players.    

Rachel Robinson's (Beharie) role is rather limited too.    She encourages Jackie and watches from the stands occasionally, nodding approval when Jackie gets a hit or steals a base and grimacing when he is booed, but that's about it.   The real Rachel Robinson was herself a strong pioneer for racial equality and to this day, she appears on Jackie Robinson day to commemorate her late husband's legacy.    In 42, she is smart and compassionate, but her role is severely underwritten.

This is the first feature film about Jackie Robinson's major league career since "The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)" in which Robinson played himself.    Since that movie was made in 1950 and various moviemaking codes were in effect then, there was only so much that could be shown depicting Robinson.    Jackie Robinson, as played by himself, was likable and earnest.     For those going into 42 cold, without much knowledge of Robinson, I wonder how much they will get out of it.    Will they be swayed because it's a story of Robinson's triumph over unprecedented adversity, even if it's not that good?   I don't know.    I wanted to like it, but I was unable to get past the fact that 42 is rather lacking for a biopic with a built-in rooting interest and an ending that's as happy as you can get considering the circumstances.