Earnest After School Special

Rating: 7/10 (20 March 2014)

Successful sporting goods store owner Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) accepts the basketball coach job from his mentor at his old high school. It's a poor underachieving school. He forces his kids to sign a contract to maintain academics. He calls the kids 'sir' as a sign of respect. It's a struggle with the kids, but it's even more of a struggle with the adults. It climaxes to a point where coach Carter locks out the players when they don't maintain their academics.
This is all a very earnest after school special. Coach Carter is a saint beyond reproach. The thing that I wish for is an early ally for Carter. It seems that everybody especially the adults are piling on. Even if true, it doesn't make for a compelling story. It's overkill. An ally could create more complex relationships in the adults of the movie.
The other thing I noticed is that the movie reaches its climax around the lockout. The games after the lockout don't have much drama. The movie is about the lockout, not about any championships or game winners.