The Playlist Review: ’42’

The Playlist:

Destiny swings a big stick in Brian Helgeland's "42." It underlines every pivotal moment of Jackie Robinson's career captured in the two hour film, often working as baggage keeping the film earthbound, at times making it unnecessarily weighty. It's also probably the major reason why a number of mainstream critics will wag a finger at this unapologetic, old-fashioned hero yarn seemingly stitched from the similarly modest DNA of 1950's "The Jackie Robinson Story." What seems like a high fidelity to history is actually an acknowledgement and deep respect, the kind most modern filmmakers and viewers would likely find alien.