Great movie!

Rating: Null/10 (13 February 2005)

" Coach Carter " is a classic underdog sports-themed story. It is a truly inspiring movie based on a true story about Ken Carter that hit national news in 1999. It makes us, the audience, think about some of life's challenges that apply to our own lives and it allows us to find ways to overcome them. The film also impresses upon us that the first step to empowerment is education and that it is possible for students to escape from violence and poverty if raised in a poor neighborhood. Which in turn sets up for a great storyline.
The movie originated from a real incident in 1999 when a high school basketball coach, Ken Carter, benched his whole undefeated team for performing poorly academic wise. He pad locked the gym doors and sent his players to the library. He received both high praise and criticism nationally.
Being the story was very real the costumes were not. The setting of the movie is in Long Beach, California in a poor neighborhood. At the beginning of the movie the players were asked to sign a contract that stated: they must receive a minimum 2.3 grade point average, attend all classes, sit in front of those classes and wear a suit and tie on game day. In a meeting the parents were complaining that the student athletes simply don't own suits and ties and cannot afford them. Throughout the movie though, every character was wearing expensive name brand clothing. It totally contradicted the message they were trying to prove about being poor. Then there were the cheerleaders. They were dressed like hip-hop dancers that you would normally see in MTV music videos. No school would allow their students to wear shorts revealing half of their butt.
As hip-hop movie and mainly attracting the youth, the slang and language was not quite appropriate but very up to date. There was some profanity but it only made the movie that much more real. Whether we like it or not kids will curse.
It was also interesting to see how they brought up real life issues that many young teens can relate to. One of them being pregnancies. In the movie one girl got pregnant from her boyfriend that played on the basketball team. It showed the option of abortion. Sending out the message that it my not be morally right but it is up to the parents and what they believe is best for both them and the child.
In conclusion, the costumes were a little contradicting but the movie wasn't totally ruined from it. It had a get story line and sub stories that made us feel as if we were one of the characters. If you love heart touching inspirational movies then this one is highly recommended. It's a reality check.