Coach Carter (2005, UMD)

More often than not, true to life stories can bring a real sense of drama to the big screen. With Coach Carter, we have one such story that makes itself into quite a good film. MTV has really taken on a good script here, and made it into a very likable film about high school basketball. In this case, we are talking about Richmond, California, which is in need of a new basketball coach. The current one has decided that he wants to hang up his high-tops, after a few seasons that have been very rough on him. The team has had a record of 4 wins and 22 losses the previous year, and the players are in an obvious need of discipline. Enter Ken Carter, a former student, who is played by Samuel L. Jackson in the film.

Carter owns his own sports store, and seems to have made quite a living for himself post-college. He is raising a son who is dedicated to school, and wants nothing more than to impress his father, which is approached later on in the film. He is a hard nosed man, who has his own set of rules by which he not only coaches by, but lives by as well. But, in order to get these kids to play by his rules, he must show them why it is important to believe in something. Jackson does this very well, because of his experiences in roles that put him in charge of people, and it translates into a very believable role as the head coach of Richmond. He also does a great job of providing the audience with visuals as to what the real Coach Carter had to go through at the school. Not only that, but it shows how he had to put up with a community that was not always happy with his decisions.

Jackson is at his peak in this movie, and it is clear why he was chosen for the role. At no point in the movie do we think that he is acting, but rather we begin to feel that he actually is the coach of this small school from California. In a movie based on the players of the school, he steals just about every scene that he is in. The only part that I had a hard time with was the chemistry he had on-screen with his son. It seemed a little bit forced, and I really didn't fall into the thought that this really could be his son. But taken in the context that the son was just another player on the team, he evolves quite nicely into the ensemble cast.

From the point of view of the players on the team, we are shown what they have to go through on a daily basis in this neighborhood. We are shown that life is not easy for any of them, and it almost seems as if life has it in for some of them. They find it hard to stay on top of their classes in this environment, and it falls on Coach Carter to show them just how important attending class can be to the rest of their lives. The group of kids that make up the team are all likable in their own ways. Of course there are a few bad apples in the group (I mean what would a movie be without a couple), but it is those qualities that they add to the equation that makes the movie work so well. In fact, the actors playing the roles make us think that we are actually watching the basketball scenes taking place, rather than actually watching a movie.

The reason that I thought the film was so good doesn't lie only in the good acting, and the fact that it was a basketball film though. At the heart of it all, is the message that winning at basketball isn't the only thing that life has to offer. Coach Carter takes on the role of proving to all of his kids that there is a long life past the basketball courts, and that they all have the chance to become something great. I think that this is a very important message to send to kids who play the game, because it is important to show why our lives shouldn't be focused entirely on a game. The message never overshadows the film in front of the audience, and from start to finish we are able to enjoy it without feeling that we are being preached to. I highly recommend this movie to people of all ages, but there is one topic that could be sensitive to younger viewers of the film.