Not Up to the Standards of Some Other Films

Rating: 6/10 (10 April 2007)

This is a decent basketball movie, although I found out that it is virtually inaccurate. Don't take any of it as historically accurate. Now that doesn't diminish what Don Haskins accomplished. He just took longer than the time frame. The other thing that disappointed me was characterization. I never felt close to any of the players. They seemed to be a racial entity. The game scenes were OK but there just seemed to be a missing element. One of the biggest turnoffs for me was the pomposity of the coach. His endless speech making and philosophizing. Maybe he was like this, but I don't know how much of that stuff really inspires anyone. The film needed some other conflict than the usual racism of the south. I'd like to find out more about Adolph Rupp. How accurately was he portrayed? Anyway, when compared to "Hoosiers," or "Remember the Titans," this doesn't have the substructure of those sports films.