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| Samuel L. Jackson as Coach Ken Carter |
Dan -
I am a such a sucker for movies that are supposed to inspire people. What can I say? I like being inspired and seeing other people make changes that will affect the rest of their lives. Whether it is fictional or based on a true story, I get pulled in almost every time and become personally involved with the triumphs and failures of the characters. And doesn't everyone love an underdog story?
Have you ever noticed that many of the greatest sports movies have a lot to do with a great coach? This movie fills half of those requirements in that it has a great coach, and Samuel L. Jackson was really good as the coach in this. His intensity along with his propensity for yelling his dialogue is actually appropriate for this movie. I really bought into him as a tough coach who would have such high expectations. And he can be classy at the same time he is yelling. If ever there was a dude who epitomized the term BMF, it's this guy.
For anyone who actually considers watching the movies reviewed on this blog, this really is a compelling story. A coach who puts education before basketball is almost revolutionary. Suspending the games because the players weren't doing well enough in class even though they were undefeated is unprecedented. I know this is Hollywood-ized, but I feel it is almost an important sports movie.
Is this movie as good as Hoosiers or Glory Road? No. But it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I thought it was good enough for repeat viewing, so I bought it (albeit used). I liked that it seemed grounded in reality. When it came time for the final game, I really didn't know who was going to win. The editing is highly stylized and the soundtrack is filled with hip-hop music (which I don't necessarily care for), and there are some really distracting subplots. Take for example one of the stars of the team, Rob Brown, has gotten his girlfriend pregnant and is having second thoughts about having a baby. I think the point was to ground the movie in reality, but it had nothing to do with the rest of the movie. Sticking with basketball and the classroom would have really helped this movie along.
I give this movie 3½ out of 5 stars. Samuel L. Jackson and his methods make this movie more than I thought it would be.
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| The real Coach Ken Carter |
I feel like this movie has been made so many times, and this film is just another variation of something that has previously been done. I think it’s great that so many individuals have been able to overcome difficult situations, but just because one or two films have been successful with such stories doesn’t mean that all of the other studious should try to have the same success with their own film.
The specifics of the plot of this film are centered around the Richmond (CA) High School Oilers basketball team, a low income/high crime neighborhood, whose long-time coach is ready to retire, and hoping the school’s previous biggest star will agree to take the position over. Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) agrees to coach the team, and immediately makes his presence known by having all players who wish to be on the basketball team sign a contract, stating that they will maintain a minimum 2.3 GPA, dress up on game days, and be respectful towards others. Through Carter’s hard work/my way approach he is able to transform a basketball team that had 4 wins the previous year into a team that would win every regular season game it played in his first season.
The most redeeming quality of this film for me is that there is a lot of emphasis placed on, and given to, the importance of education and its need for getting the students further in life. During a pivotal point in the film, in which the educational requirements and standards of Coach Carter are being challenged, I especially appreciated a statement made by Coach Carter where he is trying to stress the importance of accountability, a trait he feels is lacking or overlooked among professional athletes.
Finally I feel that this film was targeted too much at a specific type of audience, as is the case with most films made by MTV films. The environmental aspects of this film further accentuated by rap and hip hop music, considerable amounts of slang, and stereotypical behaviors. 3 *’s out of 5
My Random Thought For Coach Carter: Here’s a major problem I have with this movie trying to tie a past event into current events. The movie is about the 1999 Richmond team, but they make references to the character Ty Crane being the next Lebron James. That’s great but Lebron James was just entering high school at that time and was nothing of a star yet. If the writers decided to try and put things in a current context, as in the 2005 time frame which the movie was released, then the problem comes when they discuss Crane’s shoe-in to be the next number 1 pick in the NBA draft. Someone failed to do their research showing that the collective bargaining agreement which was entered for the 2006 NBA draft required all eligible players to be at least 19 years old at the start of the draft year. Sorry to whoever was trying to be clever, but clearly you were just trying to combine too many things and ended up with an inaccuracy instead.
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