And he did it the way Gandhi did, and the way Martin Luther King would — by simply being better than the people who hated him. It's usually that the subjects mean so much to the filmmakers that they can't bring themselves to take the subjects out of their historical packaging and play with them, lest they lose their value. But that's alright, because there's more than enough here — both in Rickey's faith in Robinson, and Robinson's belief in himself. "Like a TV movie," I heard Chris Rock grumble as he left the screening — and yes, it would have been interesting to see what his friend Spike Lee would have done with this material. Brian Helgeland (Payback, A Knight's Tale) wrote and directed this movie, which concentrates on Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and sometime after the halfway point he lays out his angle. I didn't know why my family was so excited when I came back to the table. Boseman has very little to do that makes Robinson a character. (Here she's playing a great woman, and that's not the same thing.) Rickey is played by Harrison Ford, with a padded gut and a pair of eyebrow weaves; it is the first time in years I have seen Ford have fun onscreen.
– The Jackie Robinson biopic 42 slides into theaters today, and it's being greeted by a polite ovation from critics, who for the most part seem to admire Robinson's story more than the filmmaking. Here's what people are saying: If director Brian Helgeland's "intention was to tell Jackie's story in a linear, paint-by-numbers fashion, he has achieved that goal," writes James Berardinelli at ReelViews. "The film takes no chances and does nothing bold." Still, he gives it a decent score, saying it's "a worthwhile sports movie" that "evokes powerful emotions" thanks to its compelling story. AO Scott at the New York Times has a more charitable take, writing that Helgeland "has honorably sacrificed the chance to make a great movie in the interest of making one that is accessible and inspiring." The film is pure hero-worship. "It is blunt, simple, and sentimental, using time-tested methods to teach a clear and rousing lesson." In the process, it gives younger viewers an unflinching look at the ugly "world their grandparents were born into." "Chadwick Boseman is perfect as Robinson," gushes Stephen Whitty at the Star-Ledger. "He captures, in a clenched jaw or a sidelong glance, a lifetime's worth of dearly attained dignity." Harrison Ford, meanwhile, might get a supporting actor nod; "it is the first time in years I have seen Ford have fun onscreen." Sure, the movie is "thick with Hollywood cliches … but that doesn't mean it won't make you feel good." Wesley Morris at Grantland complains that the movie is a little too reverential. Robinson doesn't have to change, "White America does. That's great for messaging, but hell on drama." It's the white characters who evolve, not the saint wearing 42. "Having an actor play Robinson makes sense for realism, but most of the time a piece of cardboard with Robinson's likeness would have done the trick."