"Coach Carter"

Reviewed by Steven Malkoun
Inspired by a true story, "Coach Carter" is an inspirational account of controversial high school basketball coach Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson), who received both high praise and staunch criticism when he made national news for benching his entire undefeated team for poor academic performance. Set in Richmond, California, this rousing, heartfelt portrayal of human courage and conviction is about overcoming the obstacles of your environment and showing young men a future that stretches beyond gangs, drugs, prison, and yes…even basketball.

Playing high school basketball takes more than skill, perseverance, discipline and teamwork - especially when you play for Coach Ken Carter. Just to step on Carter's court takes a signed contract that assures him you'll be performing at your best on the court and in the classroom. On Coach Carter's watch, it's not just about winning a basketball game…it's about his team's future.

Having attended Richmond High himself, he has literally been in those boys' shoes. Like them, he loved playing the game. And even though he was a very accomplished player, and still held many of the school's records, it is education - not basketball - that Carter feels led him to be the man he is today.

The director, Thomas Carter, is careful to show us that Coach Carter has a successful sports store business, drives a Mercedes and lives in a leafy, comfortable neighbourhood. His own son Damien (Robert Richard), a promising basketball player and A student, goes to a posh private school, but wants to transfer to Richmond High, where kids enter through metal detectors and gun searches. "Sir, please listen," Damien tells his dad when they argue. "All I want is to play for you."

Coach Carter has all the cliches of the American sports movie and the classroom drama, but there are signs of life. A subplot concerns the desperate desire of a teenage girl (played by the singer Ashanti) for a baby, even before graduation, a theme that's unusual. Her boyfriend (Rob Brown) is a star player, who sees a wider horizon. The script gives most of the players choices; the coach forces them to make them.The movie builds a credible picture of the pressures within this community, and the way poverty limits communal thinking. Carter recites the statistical bad news: only half of Richmond's students graduate and, in Richmond, you're 80 per cent more likely to go to prison than college. When the team starts winning, with soaring bodies slamming baskets in pounding montages, it's stirring and you understand why this game is so important for players and spectators alike.

Unlike some of his recent roles, Jackson holds a firm grip playing Carter; you can feel his presence. The film's intention holds up until the very end which is what I particularly liked about it. Unlike Dangerous Minds it doesn't strand off too much into violence, drugs and racism, although the students are faced with those problems. Rather it focuses on the idea of making something out of nothing with your life and most importantly believing in yourself.
out of 10 Moviemarshal.com home