"Coach Carter" makes the grade!!!

Rating: Null/10 (2 February 2005)

Every conscientious high school educator ought to watch the new hoops movie "Coach Carter," (*** out of ****) an inspirational but formulaic, true-life sports saga about a messianic basketball coach that recycles elements from the 1987 Gene Hackman netter "Hoosiers" and the 1989 Morgan Freeman classic "Lean On Me." Not only does Samuel L. Jackson deliver a powerful performance, but also Coach Ken Carter's real-life exploits provide him with his most charismatic role since the 1995 Bruce Willis police thriller "Die Hard With a Vengeance." Moreover, Jackson doesn't have to shoot, stab, or slay anybody to hold our attention. Okay, he roughs up a haughty high school student, but Jackson's suit & tie clad character restraints his temper. After all, he serves as their role model, rather like Denzel Washington in "Remember the Titans." The biggest difference between "Coach Carter" and the aforementioned films is Carter demands that his team sign a contract that pledges them to maintain a 2.3 grade point average. When our hero discovers that several players are flunking out, Carter padlocks the gym and forfeits the next game, even though he has transformed the Oilers into an undefeated Cinderella phenomenon. Suddenly, stunned parents and teachers who've grown accustomed to their team winning contend that Carter is unreasonably depriving their students of a golden opportunity obtain scholarships from scouts to attend nearby colleges.
"Coach Carter" preaches its loud, obvious but admirable message without short-changing the audience when it comes time to entertain them. The disciplinary scenes where Carter whips his students into shape recall the 1967 Lee Marvin World War II blockbuster "The Dirty Dozen." Interestingly, too, another message emerges from this fast-paced, often exciting, but flawed feel-good saga. Even more controversial than Carter's decision to bench the team is a young female character's (the big-screen debut of singer Ashanti) decision to terminate her pregnancy when her boyfriend, Kenyon (Rob Brown of "Finding Forrester"), and she both realize they cannot raise a family and attend college at the same time. Incredibly, the academic excellence message overshadows the abortion subplot. Sometimes, what people pay attention to reveals as much about themselves as an audience than the movie itself. Moreover, critics have either overlooked or bypassed this incendiary issue. Nobody gets really upset with the abortion subplot. Instead, the parents, teachers, and administrators howl about Carter's audacious scheme to bench the team until they can hike their Q.P.A. to a level acceptable for acceptance at a junior college.
Biographies like "Coach Carter" tend to degenerate into saintly hero-worship, because--unless the person is dead--the studio doesn't want to worry about a lawsuit for character assassination. Despite this ever-present fear, director Thomas Carter, who helmed "Save The Last Dance For Me," wrings convincing performances out of a largely unknown cast. There's chemistry between Jackson and his twentysomething co-stars, and the Mark ("The Perfect Score) Schwahn and John ("Varsity Blues") Gatins screenplay provides us with many suspenseful moments off court as well as on the court. Sure, the subplots surrounding the team building scenes are riddled with clichés, but the persuasive performances give you a reason to overlook these staples.
"Coach Carter" is pretty straightforward and takes places over a span of four months back in 1998. The action occurs at Richmond High School in California where the basketball teamthe Oilerscompiled a losing record of 4 wins and 22 losses. In frustration, the coach convinces Carter to take on the coaching job without pay. As it turns out, Carter attended Richmond as a teen and set All-American basketball records that nobody has topped. At first, the students balk at the rigid conditions that he sets down for them to follow if they want to play. Not only must they wear suits and ties to school, but also they must sit on the front row of their classes. One arrogant student, Timo Cruz (Rick Gonzales of "Biker Boyz") storms out in a rage. Later, after he sees Carter work his magic and convert the team into contenders, he begs his way back into the fold. Purists will argue that the film presents all the usual stereotypes of inner-city, at-risk minority youths. Essentially, this is an accurate way of looking at "Coach Carter." Samuel L. Jackson dominates the film with his bossy character, and the movie sizzles when he appears on screen. Meanwhile, all the subplots except the abortion date back 1970's blaxploitation thrillers.
The worst thing about "Coach Carter" is director Thomas Carter's (no relation to the protagonist) strategy to downplay academics. Understandably, the visual dynamics of taking tests and attaining high grades present few photogenic possibilities compared with adrenalin-laced action on the basketball court. Indeed, Carter stages the on-court action with skill, and you get caught up in the team's determination to win against long odds, especially in the final championship showdown. Aside from its commendable message, "Coach Carter" succeeds where other recent sports dramas, like the lackluster "Friday Night Lights," flounder. Samuel L. Jackson's memorable performance, the white-knuckled tension during the basketball games, and a sturdy supporting cast overcoming their stereotypical roles helps "Coach Carter" make the grade.