Review of 42 (2013) by Tyler R — 08 Feb 2014

There are a lot of sports films out there. A big chunk of them are either overly cheesey or just flat out comedies, so of course there was some hesitation with 42, a film about one of baseball's greats.

Luckily, the film plays it's hand seriously, but not overly so. It comes off as sentimental, but honorable and respectful. The film chronicles Jackie Robinson and his time with the Brooklyn Dodgers, leading them to victory.

First and foremost, I've never heard of Chadwick Boseman before, but whoever casted him deserves a pat on the back because not only does he look just like Jackie Robinson, he's a pretty good actor who does the role justice.

And then there's Harrison Ford. Much like Tommy Lee Jones in Captain America, you can tell Harrison Ford had a blast playing his larger than life character. The film moves smoothly, never missing a beat or anything like that.

The problem lies with how it feels, and by that, I mean it feels almost like a made for TV movie. There are some scenes which give off a low budget, cheap vibe. That being said, it doesn't detract from the overall film, and this is one baseball film, and sports film, that does right by an actual hero.