Sentimental but very entertaining

Rating: Null/10 (26 February 2005)

How do you top the career of Sam Jackson, a classic actor who has been in many superb films all around for years. "Pulp Fiction" "Jackie Brown" and the "Negotiator" were all excellent, but in recent years it seemed as if he had simply scrapped all of that, and taken any offer that came his way, no matter how poor the material. "Swat" and "Basic" are perfect examples. So how does good old Sam get on top of his game again? He signs up for a fresh new film like "Coach Carter".
Targeting the career of "Ken" and his quest to make the "hood" peaceful again and giving all the "hardcore" gangsters goals, you can tell this is a pro-education film just dripping with sentimentality. The only problem is: these guys just ain't gangster enough. OK, there is no denying, Coach Carter targeted the market; a smart move, fair enough. But in doing so they created a relatively pretentious view of a "rough" neighbourhood, with teens who don't act hard and don't speak hard. Bad language may not be completely necessary, but it certainly would of added to the realism here. That aside, this film is very entertaining, and, for a short while, almost really good; but here and there the corny side creeps up, particularly in a horribly clichéd, unnecessary scene where young hood member "Cruz" proves his worth to the team. It is literally cringe-worthy.
So all in all, Coach Carter is not great film. Had I reviewed this on the basis of how well and how realistically this film was done, I'd probably give it about a 1, but this was a fun, popcorn flick that is good for a short period but drags on eventually. Maybe good enough for a re-watch.
***/ out of ***** (3 and a half out of 5)