42 is your typical, semi-schmaltzy, biographical sports movie, but it avoids many of the worst pitfalls that tend to plague this kind of film, and in the end it is quite enjoyable. It struck me as a fairly cursory but dignified telling of the story of Jackie Robinson. There’s not a lot of detail, the pacing is a tad slow, and the dialog is far from deep or even interesting, but the film manages to get its ideas across, almost a bit like the after-school movies of my childhood. The baseball sequences are done pretty decently, with very little slow motion, which was a welcome surprise. The racism sequences are also decent and effective, even if they feel somewhat canned and unspontaneous.

I don’t have much more to say about this film. It is what it is – a good-natured but limited sports movie about Jackie Robinson and his journey. If Jackie Robinson interests you, see it. Otherwise, I’m not sure this film has much else to stand on.