In many ways Coach Carter is like so many other sports movies before it. Must-win big games, scoring the last second point, ra-ra-ra pep talks, the love-interest off the court, blah, blah, blah. And this movie manages to make all the right shots when taken.
Samuel L. Jackson plays the real life, hard-nosed Coach Carter – the new basketball coach bent on not only making winners out of his “only 4 wins all last year” team, but also turning them into gentlemen and students. A whole bunch of young new actors play a bunch of junior and senior high school “students” in urban L.A. who are anything but.
What really works this time, though, is the depth to which we actually care, feel, and understand the boys and the situations they live in. Without revealing away any of the story, the boys do fail on occasion and thankfully, we see that Coach Carter doesn’t provide them with the little break, pat on the back, and “better luck next time” we see and do ourselves so often in our lives. Coach Carter has a plan, and everyone – not just the boys – better live up to the rules that govern our lives. This is the kind of movie that will motivate you to think about being a better person.
Samuel L. Jackson plays the real life, hard-nosed Coach Carter – the new basketball coach bent on not only making winners out of his “only 4 wins all last year” team, but also turning them into gentlemen and students. A whole bunch of young new actors play a bunch of junior and senior high school “students” in urban L.A. who are anything but.
What really works this time, though, is the depth to which we actually care, feel, and understand the boys and the situations they live in. Without revealing away any of the story, the boys do fail on occasion and thankfully, we see that Coach Carter doesn’t provide them with the little break, pat on the back, and “better luck next time” we see and do ourselves so often in our lives. Coach Carter has a plan, and everyone – not just the boys – better live up to the rules that govern our lives. This is the kind of movie that will motivate you to think about being a better person.
