Glory Road Is a Great Sports Film, But Comedy Could Have Been Removed

Rating: 9/10 (7 December 2009)

Glory Road, directed by James Gartner, tells the story of the 1965-1966 Texas Western boys basketball team and their journey to win an NCAA division one championship with a predominately African American team. The coach, Don Haskins, leads the Miners to become national champions playing only the African Americans, in the championship game, and in an extremely prejudice and racist society. Josh Lucas does a wonderful job of becoming Don Haskins and fully embracing this role. Compared to his roles in others films, he proves he is a very versatile actor. Part of what makes this film great is the great line of actors. The cast includes Derek Luke, Emily Deschanel, Mechad Brooks, and John Voit. Though all of the basketball players are amateurs in the acting business, they prove their acting and abilities and talents by truly becoming the characters assigned to them. Viewers see personalities of the actual people, Bobby Joe Hill and Louis Baudoin.The costumes, haircuts, montages, and scenery must be applauded showing an accurate depiction of the time period. The short basketball shorts, the hair cut of Bobby Joe Hill, the black and white newspaper montages, and vintage cars give viewers a recollection of the time period the movie is set in. The soulful soundtrack with artists like Alicia Key and Mahalia Jackson contribute to the dramatic effect and the feeling and interpretation that the team is on a road to glory. The use of bright camera flashes, quick cuts and transitions between shots during the games, and portrayal of racist and discriminatory conflict all the players (including the non-black) faced, also make this a great film. The only downfall of the film is the continued use of comedy takes away from the seriousness and intensity of the film. When players repeatedly make jokes about the Mexicans in Texas or in the final scene when Shed says, "I'm a national champion" in a quiet, high pitched voice, viewers concentrate more on the comical meaning of this statement rather than the literal and symbolic meaning of this statement. Overall the film is very well created and truly helps viewers relive this significant event of the past.