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Coach Carter

I’m always skeptical when I see ads for films like “Coach Carter” because they’re so often filled with melodrama.

This film, too, has moments of cliché and sensationalism, but it fights hard to keep these to a minimum and succeeds often enough to make it entertaining. Part of the appeal comes from Samuel L. Jackson’s strong persona, and the fact that the story itself is based on true events. But, the real strength of the film lies primarily with its young, unknown actors. The boys are true to their characters, even when the dialogue must have made them cringe.

Like an inner-city “Hoosiers,” though lacking that film’s depth, “Coach Carter” tells the true story of Ken Carter, a determined coach who takes over a team of problem kids and turns them into winners, both on and off the court. He teaches them discipline, respect for themselves and others, and even asks them to sign a contract stating that they will promise to keep their GPA at or above a 2.3 average, that they will be on time and that they will wear ties on game days. This causes a stir among the players, their parents and the principal of the school, but when they see the results of Carter’s teachings, they come to respect his unorthodox ways, especially when the team starts winning. His extreme methods are questioned again, however, when he locks the gym, cancels practice and forfeits two games after discovering that the boys are struggling academically. Determined to raise their grades and give them a fighting chance to go to college, Carter takes them off the court and into the library for tutoring and studying. This brings him a rash of violent threats, parental lashings and even a school board hearing, forcing him to stand behind his convictions and defend his beliefs.

I won’t ruin the ending by going on, but suffice it to say that lessons are learned and the boys come out better students and better people as a result of Carter’s hard-nosed military-like tactics.

The basketball scenes are exciting and well orchestrated in this film. But, the real strengths of this film come from the boys themselves, their characters and their inner struggles off the court. Their challenges come in the forms of teen pregnancy and a shooting, along with the everyday trials of living in an area where they are 50 percent more likely to go to prison than to graduate from high school.

Rick Gonzalez turns in a solid performance as a kid struggling to decide between basketball and working for his cousin as a drug dealer. Rob Brown also shines as a player with real promise both academically and athletically, but who has a pregnant girlfriend that forces him to make some very adult choices before he’s ready.

Overall, however, there isn’t a bad portrayal among the teens. They play their roles with honesty and depth, as though they don’t know any other way. It’s refreshing and real, and it takes an otherwise average film to another level.

Written by: Keli Ayr Brooks

Reviewers Rating: 7.5
Reader's Rating: 9.75
Reader's Votes: 8

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