By Christopher Lloyd

Saccharine and starry-eyed, “42” places Jackie Robinson on a pedestal and peers in awe at the baseball icon. Writer/director Brian Helgeland’s biopic of the first African-American to play major league baseball tries and largely succeeds to get at the real man behind the myth.

But it also ladles on the hagiography in portions too huge to choke down completely.

Chadwick Boseman aptly plays Robinson, one of the top players in the Negro League who was carefully selected to integrate baseball. Branch Rickey (an excellent Harrison Ford), the legendary general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, knew he needed a player who could not only hit and field, but also accept the slings and arrows of white society without showing any public protest.

The result was a trying rookie year for Robinson and his wife (Nicole Beharie) as he endured racial taunts and threats from fans, opposing teams and even his own dugout.

Helgeland takes us behind the scenes to show us what the constant assault on his dignity cost Robinson – serenely tolerating the racial epithets hurled at him by an opposing manager, then shattering his bat in frustration off the field.

“42” may too often indulge in hero worship instead of character exploration. But there’s no denying this film packs a wallop.

Movie: B