42

The Blind Side meets The Help. A gratifying sports drama with a humanistic message and a “strong personal story based on real events”. From time to time it’s nice to watch a movie that gives you the opportunity to feel good for rooting for a hero on the right side of the fence. It’s a cliché, but it works flawlessly. (29.06.2013)

A very pleasant biopic with great actors, who are dominated mainly by Chadwick Boseman and also by Harrison Ford. The plot may not be the most original story ever, but on the other hand, the drive to change things, the positive atmosphere and the will to win simply overshadow the average nature of the story itself. You see the story follows the usual scheme: a talent gets discovered – initial success – misunderstanding – fall – rise from the ashes – perfect victory. But I didn’t mind it at all. It’s really pleasantly made and I’m glad that I finally know that somebody in the USA back then was trying to go against the rules and change something. And that’s worth appreciating. (18.10.2014)

Indy dons his fedora again and... And sets out in the name of a Methodist God to redeem a game. Combining a sport movie and a humanist-aware, integrating, warming drama in a naive, fairytale wrapper is already a combination so fundamentally dangerous that the resulting pretty solid tearjerker is a genuine success this time. (30.06.2013)

The most artistic Helgeland I've seen yet. A film where everything works exactly according to the contours clearly laid out at the beginning – you expect everything to come, including the happy ending. Harrison Ford is a proper right-man owner, Chadwick Boseman is a straight black player, and the emotional high point doesn't quite come from all the right things (except perhaps the film's best scene – the smashing of the bat). It's not even the down-to-earth, suggestively progressive flick that Moneyball is, but it's lovely to watch, because it's all meticulously detailed and utterly mesmerizingly positive. (04.01.2016)

All the possible clichés of sports movies and race-themed films together. I'm not a baseball fan, I didn't know Jackie Robinson, I just like engaging movies that can entertain. 42 did it got about halfway there. It's a fairy tale in which absolutely nothing unexpected happened during two long hours (despite the fact that I didn't really know anything about Robinson's life), I was just mentally ticking off the "obligatory screenwriting items". Fortunately, everything was saved by the fantastic Harrison Ford, who clearly enjoyed the role (and grumbled almost like Walter Matthau). (03.05.2014)

This picture beautifully shows how hypocritical America is. The land of freedom, the land where everyone can live their dream. Just fifty years ago, someone like him couldn't be black. And let alone seventy years ago... "42" cannot compare to "Moneyball" and it comes out a little worse because "Moneyball" is simply less sentimental. "42" on the other hand pleasantly spices up the gentle humor. Excellent movie, surprisingly good. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/07/42-2013-90.html (29.07.2013)