April 12th, 2013 
James Shotwell 
Film: 42
Starring: Chadwick Boseman
Director: Brian Helgeland
Biopics on individuals tend to follow one of two formats: Focus on a single struggle/moment of an individual’s life, or showcase a collection of their struggles and accomplishments over the course of several years (or in some cases, a lifetime). We could argue the technical pros and cons of each, but when it comes down to it, which you prefer is just as subjective as anything else in art. What works for one individual may not work the story of another, and the reason for that could be anything from the script, to the actors, or even the moments chosen to be highlighted. Their are a limitless amount of mistakes that could be made in the process of telling someone’s life story on the silver screen, and there are at least a handful to be found in the story of Jackie Robinson being told in 42.
Jackie Robinson in many ways lead a life that closely resembled the “American Dream.” He rose up from a childhood spent in poverty (mostly without his father) to become a star college athlete, then later served for his country in World War 2 where he was court marshaled for standing up against segregation, and later returned to America to become the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. There are a dozen reasons in his life before baseball came along alone to warrant a movie about his journey, and 42 starts out by quickly getting the majority of it out of the way with narration, referential dialogue, and one-off sequences lasting less than five minutes scattered throughout the first hour. There is very little thought or care put into developing who Jackie Robinson was as a person before his journey to majors began, and even less effort is made to do so as the story moves along. 42 plays very much along the lines of the latter of the two formats described in my introduction, choosing to highlight the perceived major moments of Robinson’s life between 1945 and 1947, and in doing so fails to ever establish a strong connection without the viewer. They even go as far as to introduce Robinson’s wife via phone call, have them get married within five minutes of introducing her, and then shelve her in the background (if seen at all) for almost an entire hour. It’s as the filmmakers believe the fact it’s the story of Jackie Robinson is enough to make you engaged with what’s happening, but it’s not. Without helping us understand who he was as a man, what made him happy and what kept him up at night, Robinson remains a figure in history viewers are no more connected to than they would be learning about him in school or a museum. He’s an icon, incapable of the flaws the hold so many of us back, and that makes for an overall dull story.
Outside of the decision to only focus on the times he overcame adversity without ever giving the audience a chance to see or feel the weight of that struggle on the man himself, 42 also plays religious and racial themes in a very heavy-handed manner. Both are obviously big, recurring themes in Robinson’s story, but the way the film approaches the topics is so inconsequential that scenes start to feel more forced than genuine. For instance (minor spoiler ahead), on one occasion Robinson is playing to a mostly white crowd early in his major league journey. In the moments before his entrance onto the field the camera pans over the mostly white audience then cuts to a father and son sitting side by side. The boy shares with his father his excitement over seeing a game, to which his father responds with an equally endearing comment straight out of an after school special, but the moment is ruined almost as quickly as it develops because the presence of Robinson stirs the crowd to boos and racial slurs. The father joins in and the boy, looking innocent as can be, sits quietly confused for a moment before joining in with a few n-words of his own. It’s a sequence obviously intended to drive home the idea that hate breeds hate, and that children are impressionable to racial prejudice, but it’s told using characters we never see before or after this moment in time. It could have been filmed months before or after the rest of the movie and it wouldn’t matter because it in no way directly connects to the story it hand. It develops a better perception of racial tension, sure, but so does the gigantic stadium filled with people chanting every negative word one could possibly imagine against African American (and a few you may have to Google).
Even with all these complaints, there are a few silver linings to be found in the supporting cast of 42, namely Christopher Meloni and Alan Tudyk. Their characters are the only one in the film that appear to have any real emotional arc, and even though Meloni’s appearance is relatively short, both actors deliver performances worthy of praise. Tudyk’s role as outspoken (and racist) manager Ben Chapman in particular is one I doubt anyone else could deliver as menacingly. The entire film is filled with racial tension, but his scenes make the viewer far more uncomfortable with the others, and therein lies an engagement with the audience Robinson’s accomplishments never achieve. You feel toward Tudyk’s character, and even if it’s hate it still has the ability to pull you into the events taking place and make you want to see more. This connection is ultimately what saves the movie, unfortunately it happens about an hour and fifteen minutes too late for the patience of many movie goers.
Walking out of 42 I was struck with the odd notion that I felt like I was supposed to like the film far more than I actually did. The trailer was so well put together, and the decision to harness the social reach of Jay-Z was genius by the marketing and licensing team, but the final product is void of every ounce of “cool” a story like this should convey. Jackie Robinson is an American hero who not only fought for his country and broke racial barriers, but did so without ever breaking himself. He persevered everything the world had for him and came out on top at the end of the day. People should feel inspired when his story is told, and 42 barely manages to entertain. The legend of Jackie Robinson deserves better than this, and hopefully one day someone else will do it justice, but unless you’re a die hard for these type of movie I see no reason to put yourself through 42 anytime soon.
Score: C-
Review written by: James Shotwell
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