This is a very good sports movie about one of the most inspiring American stories of all time. It's by no means an amazing film, and at times is overly saccharine - and yet despite its flaws its a fun movie to watch, beautifully filmed, and it flies by - the two hours I spent watching the movie flew by. At times it dabbles in cliches and trite metaphors, but Harrison Ford's standout performance carries the film. Ultimately, all of the failings of the movie can't bring down a great tribute to a true American hero.
Predictable to the letter but filled with a few quite remarkable performances, "42" is a sports biopic that never quite takes off though its actors do.
The film does an admirable job of highlighting racism in Post-WWII America. It also doesn't particularly raise Robinson to the level of a saint either which is refreshing in a biopic. Finally, the way the film tells its story by using subtle jumps in time in overlapping scenes allows for a few neat surprises when characters show up in two scenes at the same time.
Overall, "42" feels like a step above "Movie of the Week" in its plot, but is interesting in its execution.
Harrison Ford should be nominated for an oscar for his performance.
Beautiful movie, fantastic sport movie about a great man in American history and in Baseball history.
4/5
Is Chadwick Boseman making a career of playing black icons? There's Black Panther, of course, and he played Thurgood Marshall last year, and James Brown in 2014. Before all that, he was Jackie Robinson in 42, a competent biopic of the baseball legend's early career. It's good, but doesn't transcend the genre, presentational as a biography, and playing into the usual sports and injustice tropes you'd expect (but because they happened). It's Boseman that makes this a movie to recommend. He has such natural charisma, he's never not watchable. Harrison Ford gives a good performance as the team owner who brought him up to the big leagues, not at all his usual screen persona.
Luke warm film which fails to do justice to the true story it's attempting to tell.
Agree with comment below, for some reason it couldn't shake the made-for-tv feel. The scripting was poor, the music was cheesy rubbish and the whole thing just felt one dimensional. Even Ford's acting just felt... off.
Tonight, we watched the movie “42″ which is a biopic on Jackie Robinson, the first black player to play in the Major Leagues at Baseball.
He was signed for the Dodgers (then the Brooklyn Dodgers well before they moved to LA) at a time when racial prejudice was still strong in America and across the world. The film follows his career and life, right through to his first season in Major League Baseball.
It’s a cracking story, and although I only know snippets of the real-life story from listening to Dodgers commentator Vin Scully, I really enjoyed the film and the story it was portraying. It’s quite hard to imagine that kind of world, having not ever been witness to it. A world in which opposing team managers were openly standing in the dugout shouting “Nigger” at Robinson as he attempted to bat. We’ve come a long way people…a very long way!
Harrison Ford is the big name in the film, taking part of Branch Rickey, the General Manager of the Dodgers who gave Robinson his big chance and ultimately changed the game completely.
Having recently taken up support of the LA Dodgers, it was a story I was interested in, allowing me a little bit of an insight into their history. When you look at the game today and see all the different cultures, it’s hard to imagine the game this way just 60 years ago.
Great film, great telling of an inspirational story and a film I would definitely recommend to Baseball fans and non-fans alike.
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nymusix
This is a very good sports movie about one of the most inspiring American stories of all time. It's by no means an amazing film, and at times is overly saccharine - and yet despite its flaws its a fun movie to watch, beautifully filmed, and it flies by - the two hours I spent watching the movie flew by. At times it dabbles in cliches and trite metaphors, but Harrison Ford's standout performance carries the film. Ultimately, all of the failings of the movie can't bring down a great tribute to a true American hero.rrashidov
I was expecting more from this movie. Anyway, Harrison Ford's performance was a very good one.frankqb
Predictable to the letter but filled with a few quite remarkable performances, "42" is a sports biopic that never quite takes off though its actors do.The film does an admirable job of highlighting racism in Post-WWII America. It also doesn't particularly raise Robinson to the level of a saint either which is refreshing in a biopic. Finally, the way the film tells its story by using subtle jumps in time in overlapping scenes allows for a few neat surprises when characters show up in two scenes at the same time.
Overall, "42" feels like a step above "Movie of the Week" in its plot, but is interesting in its execution.
Joker of Gotham
Harrison Ford should be nominated for an oscar for his performance.Beautiful movie, fantastic sport movie about a great man in American history and in Baseball history.
4/5
John Milton
Jackie Robinson’s Bitter PillEarring72
Predictable but inspirational sports drama. Ford is great but rest of the cast is equally good. Nice low key movieSiskoid
Is Chadwick Boseman making a career of playing black icons? There's Black Panther, of course, and he played Thurgood Marshall last year, and James Brown in 2014. Before all that, he was Jackie Robinson in 42, a competent biopic of the baseball legend's early career. It's good, but doesn't transcend the genre, presentational as a biography, and playing into the usual sports and injustice tropes you'd expect (but because they happened). It's Boseman that makes this a movie to recommend. He has such natural charisma, he's never not watchable. Harrison Ford gives a good performance as the team owner who brought him up to the big leagues, not at all his usual screen persona.devilsadvocado
Poor Jackie Robinson. "I changed the face of sports for future generations of black athletes and all I got was this shitty movie."Harrison Ford is terrible. Someone needs to make a gif of his reaction to Robinson hitting the homeroom near the end of the movie.
MrDoog
Luke warm film which fails to do justice to the true story it's attempting to tell.Agree with comment below, for some reason it couldn't shake the made-for-tv feel. The scripting was poor, the music was cheesy rubbish and the whole thing just felt one dimensional. Even Ford's acting just felt... off.
I wouldn't recommend this to anybody.
FameAsser
My review from my Blog at : http://fameasserlufc.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/page-205365-film-review-42/Tonight, we watched the movie “42″ which is a biopic on Jackie Robinson, the first black player to play in the Major Leagues at Baseball.
He was signed for the Dodgers (then the Brooklyn Dodgers well before they moved to LA) at a time when racial prejudice was still strong in America and across the world. The film follows his career and life, right through to his first season in Major League Baseball.
It’s a cracking story, and although I only know snippets of the real-life story from listening to Dodgers commentator Vin Scully, I really enjoyed the film and the story it was portraying. It’s quite hard to imagine that kind of world, having not ever been witness to it. A world in which opposing team managers were openly standing in the dugout shouting “Nigger” at Robinson as he attempted to bat. We’ve come a long way people…a very long way!
Harrison Ford is the big name in the film, taking part of Branch Rickey, the General Manager of the Dodgers who gave Robinson his big chance and ultimately changed the game completely.
Having recently taken up support of the LA Dodgers, it was a story I was interested in, allowing me a little bit of an insight into their history. When you look at the game today and see all the different cultures, it’s hard to imagine the game this way just 60 years ago.
Great film, great telling of an inspirational story and a film I would definitely recommend to Baseball fans and non-fans alike.