Movie Heroics

42 is an honest yet imperfect portrayal of baseball legend Jackie Robinson

Making a movie about baseball/civil rights pioneer Jackie Robinson is such an obvious idea that it’s a wonder it hasn’t been done many times before. But, in fact, it’s only been done once for the big screen, way back in 1950, starring the man himself while he was still in the middle of his career.

The most likely reason the story hadn’t been touched in the 63 years since that film or in the 41 years since his death is because of the revered position Robinson holds in American history. If you’re going to tell the important story of the first man to break the color barrier in professional baseball, you have to get the details right, or the film is dead before it ever hits the screen.

Writer/director Brian Helgeland has accepted that challenge with 42. Not only was it Robinson’s number, but it is also the only number to date that has been retired by Major League Baseball. The movie chronicles the first couple of years after Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) was signed out of the Negro Leagues by Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford).

Helgeland doesn’t shy away from the racially charged environment that Robinson found himself in, first as a member of the minor league Montreal Royals and then as part of the Dodgers. If anything, he pushes a bit too hard, which sometimes leads to trouble. For example, one sequence depicts Philadelphia Phillies manager Ben Chapman berating Robinson with a constant stream of racial epithets. Helgeland sticks with the scene well after his point has been made, neutering what could have been a much more powerful moment.

For the most part, though, Helgeland keeps things on the level, because Robinson’s story is inherently dramatic and doesn’t need much embellishment. Most of the big moments from those first two years already are well-known, so all the film has to do is depict them honestly and the job is done.

Boseman is fantastic as Robinson. Besides being close to the spitting image of him, he seems to let the story come to him instead of overplaying anything. He also is athletic enough to ably embody the unnatural smoothness that Robinson had playing the game.

Ford, essentially the co-headliner of the film, is not quite as successful portraying Rickey. The film’s makeup and costume departments do a remarkable job making him look like the man, but his gruffness and the constant growling tone in his voice turns Rickey into kind of a comic character. Although moments of levity are fine, they shouldn’t overtake this particular role.

There are other quibbles here and there - obviously CGI baseballs, minor historical inaccuracies - but Helgeland and crew have succeeded in doing exactly what should have been done long ago: honoring the bravest baseball player America has ever known.

Chadwick Boseman in 42.

Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson in the movie 42

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Chadwick Boseman in 42.

unspecified

Weekend Event Planner

These are the 13 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas presents How the Other Half Loves

Photo by Mike Morgan Photography

undefined

This weekend in and around Dallas will be comedy and theater heavy, with four national comedians coming to town and four local theater companies putting on new productions. Other choices include a symphony concert, a concert by a music legend, a film festival aimed at kids, and the final days of a notable art exhibition and a big light display.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out the calendar for an even longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, January 15

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Luisi Conducts Bruckner’s Ninth"
The latest Dallas Symphony Orchestra concert will feature just one piece, Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, the Austrian composer's epic, final symphonic masterpiece that was unfinished at the time of his death in 1896. Conducted by Fabio Luisi, the concert will be performed on both Thursday and Friday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Improv Addison presents Tony Rock
Being the brother of an established entertainer, Tony Rock was able to successfully elude the shadows of his older sibling and step into his own limelight. Rock has proven himself as one of the most talented, well-respected entertainers in the business. After years of experience, Rock has proven himself as a skillful comedian and actor. He'll perform six times through Sunday at Improv Addison.

Rover Dramawerks presents The Lady Demands Satisfaction
When a young maiden who has never touched a sword learns she must defend her inheritance in a duel, she calls upon her domineering aunt - the finest blade anywhere - to help save her house and lands. As she meekly learns to fence, she struggles with a milksop suitor, a servant girl posing as a Prussian fencing master, a Prussian fencing master who thinks he is there to marry her, and a stodgy lawyer who expects her to be killed at any moment. Like all classic farces, everyone gets the ending they deserve in unexpected ways … but will they be satisfied? The production runs through February 1 at Cox Playhouse in Plano.

Friday, January 16

Punch Line Irving presents Leslie Jones
Leslie Jones is a three-time Emmy Award nominee as well as a Writer's Guild Award and NAACP Award nominee for her work on Saturday Night Live. She has also been honored as one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People. She has appeared on the HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death, in Coming 2 America, and co-hosts the podcast The Fckry with comedian Lenny Marcus. She'll perform four times through Saturday at Punch Line Irving.

Echo Theatre presents Echo Sings: Silhouettes
In the new musical Silhouettes, two women meet in a Chicago clinic and face decisions about abortion, motherhood, and personal autonomy. Matters of choice echo through decades in the 75-minute musical for two, plus a chorus. This free workshop production will have performances on Friday and Saturday at Bath House Cultural Center.

Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas presents How the Other Half Loves
There are three couples in How the Other Half Loves, the men all working for the same firm. One of the younger men is having an affair with the wife of the oldest, and when each returns home suspiciously late one night or early one morning, they invent a story about having to spend some time smoothing domestic matters in the home of the third couple. The production runs through January 31 at Irving Arts Center.

Shakespeare Dallas presents Macbeth
Shakespeare Dallas will present a classical staging of Macbeth, also referred to superstitiously as "The Scottish Play." The tragedy involves three witches telling a Scottish general that he will be King of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth slays the king and becomes the new king, resulting in civil war and deep unrest. The production runs through February 1 at Theatre Three.

Mavis Staples in concert
It would probably be easier to say who singer Mavis Staples hasn't worked with than who she has over her nearly 70-year career in the music business. First gaining notice as part of the gospel/R&B group The Staples Sisters, Mavis embarked on a solo venture in 1969, eventually working with everyone from Aretha Franklin to Bob Dylan to Gorillaz. She'll perform at Longhorn Ballroom in support of her 2025 album, Sad and Beautiful World.

Rory Scovel: Know Your Enemy Tour
Actor, comedian, and writer Rory Scovel is fresh off his 2024 HBO Max comedy special, Rory Scovel: Religion, Sex, and a Few Things in Between. He was recently seen starring alongside Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell in the Amazon romantic comedy, You're Cordially Invited. He'll perform at Texas Theatre as part of his Know Your Enemy Tour.

Saturday, January 17

42nd Annual KidFilm Family Festival
The 42nd Annual KidFilm Family Festival, presented by USA Film Festival, will feature screenings of nine new animated and live-action feature films, as well as three showcases featuring 22 animated and live-action short films. The highlight of the festival will be a preview screening of The Pout-Pout Fish, based on the best-selling children's book by Deborah Diesen. Diesen will be on hand for the screening, which will be followed by a book signing of the new book, The Pout-Pout Fish Movie Storybook, which will be distributed for free to kids while supplies last. The festival takes place at Angelika Film Center in Dallas on Saturday and Sunday.

Matt McCusker: The Healing Frequency Tour
Matt McCusker is a comedian, writer, and co-host of Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast. After spending much of his young life engaging in mostly non-violent criminal activity, McCusker has dedicated the rest of his days toward the pursuit of peace and harmony. He has also written two books, most notably his novel Overlook: A Story About Drugs, Disappointment, and the American Dream. He'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

Sunday, January 18

Dallas Museum of Art presents "Return to Infinity: Yayoi Kusama" closing day
Sunday will be the final day to view Yayoi Kusama’s All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins at the Dallas Museum of Art. An iteration of the artist’s iconic “Infinity Mirrored Rooms,” the installation incorporates one of the artist’s quintessential symbols, the pumpkin. The boundary-pushing experiential work draws on several of Kusama’s characteristic themes, including infinity, the sublime, and obsessive repetition, allowing the viewer to literally become a part of the art.

Tianyu Lights Festival closing day
Sunday will also be the last day to see Tianyu Lights Festival, an immersive light show that features two themed displays straight from the imagination of 7-year-old boy Koda. Starlit Farm captures the peaceful beauty of summer nights in the countryside, while Magic Ocean dives deep into an illuminated undersea world of reefs and dreamlike creatures. Each evening, live cultural performances add to the magic, featuring the mask-changing art of Face Changing (Bianlian), acrobatics, and the graceful Peacock Dance. The event takes place in the the festival grounds of Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie.

Photo by Mike Morgan Photography

Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas presents How the Other Half Loves, January 16-31, at Irving Arts Center.

music concerts symphony comedy theater movies festivals kids families museums exhibitions-visual-arts event-planner