Coach Carter kicks some butt

Rating: 7/10 (22 January 2005)

The film Coach Carter is based on the real life events of Coach Ken Carter in Richmond, CA. Carter takes over a struggling high school basketball program and uses strict, authoritarian methods to instill discipline on the team and (hopefully) produce a winning season. The team members rebel at first, but most of them soon go along with his request to sign a contract that involves getting good grades and not getting into trouble.
The basketball starts winning big time and the whole town is excited about the new attitude and confidence they see in the players. But most of the players are doing a lot of bad stuff anyway, and are floundering in their school work. Carter decides to put the season on hold and risk missing the state high school basketball playoffs until the team shapes up. Everyone is up in arms and the the big question is, will they get rid of the too-strict coach, or make the kids go along with their original agreement.
Samuel L. Jackson is the lead actor portraying Coach Carter, and he does a great job. I thought he was believable in the role since he projects a disciplinarian-type authority. Although his character is somewhat "infallible", Jackson plays it about right.
The other characters all play their parts well, but they're pretty one-dimensional. I thought that Robert Ri'chard actually underplayed his part as Carters son, Damien, He was a little too low key.
The cinematography captured the gritty reality of urban Richmond and also was good at showing the tough, physical reality of basketball.
On the downside, there was quite a bit of profanity which may turn off some viewers, especially those who have younger children. And the characters could have used some more depth. But overall I think that Coach Carter is a god sports-themed movie and I enjoyed it.