By 
“42” tells the story of iconic baseball player Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in the previously all-white major leagues. He was the man famous for breaking the color line, thanks to the determination of progressive Branch Rickey, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was the beginning of the civil rights era. But that was unknown at the time.
Rickey (Harrison Ford, almost unrecognizable at the beginning of the film) discovers Robinson’s talent and takes him out of the Negro Leagues in 1945 to play in the Royal Montreal minor leagues. Robinson (played by television actor, producer, director, but little-known movie actor Chadwick Boseman) soon becomes a part of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Look for Boseman in many more movies to come. He was excellent.
Determined to enter professional baseball, Rickey tells Robinson, “I want a player with the guts to not fight back.” It is a daunting task. If he responded to the abuse he received, he would be seen as a troublemaker. Robinson encounters the vicious racism of 1947, booing crowds, and teammates who are, to say the least, unwelcoming. Robinson’s fellow Dodgers, many of them Southerners, sign a petition calling for him to be kicked out.
In a painful five-minute tirade, the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies (after making it known that he didn’t want the Dodgers to play in Philadelphia) subjects Robinson to lewd insults, including repeated use of the N-word. Segregated public restrooms and water fountains are seen in the film. It is shocking to see the “color” sign.
Robinson stands up to all the abuse by playing the game. With a career batting average of .311, approaching Ty Cobb’s astounding .367, Jackie Robinson hits home runs and steals bases fearlessly, including a fantastic home-stealing moment. He also dodges deliberate throws to the head and is once hit and falls to the ground. He knew it was expected.
“42” was written and directed by Brian Helgeland (who wrote LA Confidential and directed A Knight’s Tale), and makes this an enjoyable movie rather than what could have been a boring biopic. The story includes Robinson’s love affair with his wife, Rachel (Nicole Beharie), who is on his side but nervous about his career. In bits, he will recognize Christopher Meloni (Law & Order), TR Knight and James Pickens Jr. (Grey’s Anatomy), and Max Gail (the former Barney Miller).
Robinson’s number, 42, is the only one retired in all of baseball. Once a year all baseball players wear the number 42.
Whether or not you like baseball or baseball movies, “42” is a moving story of courage and heroism.