Have you ever really wondered what being Jackie Robinson might have been like? The only black man in an exclusive, hostile and very public universe? Required at all times to show magnificent talent along with class and dignity. If Jackie Robinson falls short of greatness in either physical play OR in emotional strength, how soon do you suppose the color barrier gets broken again? The late 50s? 60s? It’s important to remember Jackie Robinson is a pioneer for men like Albert Belle and Chad Ochocinco, who can act with all the disgrace of their white teammates because Jack Roosevelt Robinson was a superior human being in every sense of that term.
The biggest problem today with being a great athlete is, actually, the fairness of the process. Talent, however talent is defined, wins out. The result on the field is far more important than surrounding politics. We know this to be true – but the result, often, is Chad Ochocinco. Kids – try to remember that star athletes are stars almost 100% because of what they do on the field, not off. Millions of people can talk like LeBron James; very few can make decisions on the court like LeBron James.
Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman — Jackie Robinson is being played by a guy named “Chadwick”?!) is a tough character to play, not because it’s terribly difficult acting, but because it’s a bit like being Jesus on stage. In 1947, Jack Robinson became the first black man in 80 years to play major league baseball. His inclusion changed the game permanently and forever. And baseball don’t like change. It’s been 40 years since 1973 and we still have heated arguments over the Designated Hitter (FWIW, watching a pitcher “hit” makes me sick to my stomach, but then, I grew up with the American League). For the first half of the 20th Century, every MLB 
player of Native American descent was called, “Chief” by teammates, by coaches, by fans, by the media. You wanna break into that club? Really? But there’s no question that Negro League ballplayers were every bit as talented as their white and off-white counterparts. And thanks to legendary Dodger executive Branch Rickey, Jack Robinson was the super human Guinea pig.
42 is the kind of movie you own but never take out of the cellophane. You know the story. You know 42 is the number he wore for most of his career. You know the moments. They’re not bad. We cheer for Jackie standing up for himself; we cheer for him when he takes a tough moment privately and smashes a baseball bat in a concealed corridor away from prying eyes. We cheer harder when white teammates Eddie Stanky (Jesse Luken) and Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black) show solidarity. The only surprise I got was that Jackie went by “Jack” (I can’t help wondering if there’s a subtle racism in the “ie” addition. Don’t kid yourselves: adding a phonetic “ee” suffix to a name is most often a way of marginalizing the subject. e.g. “Bond, Jimmy Bond” See?) Other than that little tidbit, there’s nothing here you won’t get from five minutes with a Wikipedia bio. Oh wait, maybe one thing — Branch Rickey (the first good role for Harrison Ford since he became a curmudgeon) is as elusive as Heath Ledger’s Joker in describing why he’s forcing integration on baseball. I’m quite sure that isn’t how it went down. Rickey was almost certainly hounded almost as much as Robinson if you think about it. He probably didn’t respond to the first 1,000 accusations with, “Why so serious?”
It’s hard not to like Jackie Robinson and it’s hard not to like 42. The feel is a little anti-septic and the screenplay strikes more as a laundry list of Robinson’s deeds rather than a true piece of art. That said … you’ll probably enjoy the first viewing of this film, unless of course you’re a closet bigot — but why would you be reading me if you were?
Baseball sports a legacy of shame
So much is ugly within this game
None disputes Jack’s magnitude here
Truly a diplomat without a peer
Rated PG-13, 128 Minutes
D: Brian Helgeland
W: Brian Helgeland
Genre: Love letter
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Jack Robinson fans
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Cap Anson
