To Sir with Rebounds

Rating: 7/10 (29 January 2005)

On the field, rink or court, the team that does the most unexpected thing or who tries the newest strategy doesn't necessarily define the game being played. More often, it is about the rigorous execution of practiced skills and knowing how to keep your weaknesses from getting in your way. This straightforward and almost military approach that identify both the character of Coach Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) and the movie about him and the underprivileged basketball team. The solid performances from the cast make this movie a good addition to the genre of inspirational teacher fables.
The Richmond High basketball team is facing the very real possibility of another season in the dumps as they look back at their previous record of 4 wins and 22 losses. Their very tired coach has been working for several years and has sought out alumnus and state record-holder Ken Carter to be his replacement. Carter takes the job in spite of the small money and large time commitment because of his love of the game and discipline. More details are revealed later in the movie, but giving them away here would only undermine Jackson's strong performance. The new Coach moves in; kicks out the trouble-makers (who, coincidentally, are also the team's highest scorers); offers the remaining team an athletic and academic contract; and begins practice with the rigor and tenacity of a Marine. Soon, there is insight into the off-court lives of the players. From its introduction, the Richmond School is obviously one of the poorer of California's school districts even though it is part of the city of San Francisco.
There are dates, dances, and hot bodies at parties (which, as part of an MTV Films production, are edited in flashy fashion), but the looming realities of poverty, crime, drugs and family are faced here. For Cruz (Rick Gonzales), drugs are an easy payday, but he wants something more after he gets kicked off of the team. Damien Carter (Robert Ri'chard), the coach's son, wants to play for his father, but must survive the social shock of transferring from an expensive college prep school to the rough halls of Richmond. Although Kenyon (Rob Brown) has won both the heart and bed of Kyra (Ashanti), her unplanned pregnancy threatens to overwhelm them. Director Thomas Carter, who is said to have no relation to the real-life Coach Carter, does an excellent job of balancing all the subplots while showing the boys growing as players and as a team under Coach Carter's direction.
He does train and lead the team to a 16-and-0 record before the house comes tumbling down from its rickety academic pilings. The Coach confronts parental dissent and faces faculty resistance when he tries to follow up on his players' grades, which must be higher than school requirements for the sake of athletic scholarships. When the Coach gets the reports only to learn that the players are falling far short of their goal, he locks the gym, cancels games and sets up tutoring in lieu of practice. The ensuing conflict is the true climax of the film, and it smartly avoids making any single character a villain. The students' choice ultimately makes the difference, and the movie continues to a second court-side climax which feels more like an epilogue. However, could you really make a Hollywood film about high school basketball end anywhere except at a big game?
The cast of "Coach Carter" is the film's real strength over its director. Thomas Carter is an able film maker, but he sticks to the basics and uses slow motion shots to create emotional emphasis a bit too often. No real ground is broken in the genre here. Of course Samuel L. Jackson brings tremendous weight, strength and passion to Ken Carter. Those characteristics are the backbone most of the movie's events, and it is easy to see how he was chosen and why he accepted the role. Without a team about whom the audience can care, Coach Carter would just be a loud and frustrated man wasting his time with a bunch of teenagers. They are all allowed to give their characters definition and range. The moments they take to shrug, joke, glance all enhance each performance, and illustrate how small choices define each of them. The whole group interacts organically. This is not just about how to win the championship and get the popular girl to go to the dance. These players are people who are faced with uncomfortably limited choices that will doubtlessly affect the course of their lives.
Having a release date early in the year is typically a sign of "no confidence" from a studio to a film, but "Coach carter" seems stronger than the typical January film. The director may not be the most artistic or risky, but he opens all the right doors for the story and the cast. It is a strong story that succeeds in illustrating hard won inspiration.
7 out of 10