Movie Review: "42"

The movie "42" was  supposed to be about the life of Jackie Robinson, at least that's what was depicted on the commercials. IMDB even describes the movie storyline as "The life story of Jackie Robinson and his history-making signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers under the guidance of team executive Branch Rickey.", only half of this is true. I feel like there's some sort of deception going on here. The movie "42" didn't really feature much about Jackie's life story, it was almost entirely about his baseball career. Hence the movie title 42, the movie is titled 42 because in the negro leagues, players did not have numbers on their jerseys so Jackie Robinson considered it an honor and rewarding to wear a number on his back once he joined the major leagues.


From the very beginning, Jackie is on a baseball field as a player. What about young Jackie? Where is his back story? The closest personal element of Jackie that you get is his wife, whom we don't even know how he met by watching the film. Yes, that's how vague it is! I went to see the film because I want to know Jackie before he played baseball, I want to know what inspired him to be a baseball player in the first place...but I got none of that at all.

"42" is basically about Jackie Robinson's baseball career and the people that helped him during his baseball career. The movie seems like it's subliminally about Branch Rickey (executive manager) and Wendell Smith (first african american sports journalist) that helped Jackie along the way. Even though I felt duped and decieved, "42" was still a pretty good film.  I liked how they accurately portrayed the troubled times of the 1940s. The wardrobe used in the film also looked phenomenal. Breaking the color barrier and the stories of the negro leagues is always going to be interesting to me because it's my history. The film may not have been exactly what I expected and perceived from the previews, but it was enjoyable. "42" is Terry McFly Approved!" because it's a part of history that should not be forgotten and it's a great modern way to introduce the new generation to the baseball career of Jackie Robinson.