Another Great Underdog Team Finds Success Movie!

Rating: 8/10 (15 April 2005)

After watching Coach Carter and reading many reviews that make a comparison between that movie and Hoosiers, I decided I wanted to take a look. What I found was pretty much what I have read elsewhere. Coach Carter is pretty much the same story as Hoosiers. I am not sure if Hoosiers was adapted from a true story or not, as Carter was, but never the less, the movies are very similar.
Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) is the new coach hired by an old friend to give him a second chance. Dale has been banned from coaching college basketball due to slugging out one of his own team member (apparently, one he liked). Of course, his past comes back to haunt him but not before he can get his players to trust him and inevitably help him not to lose his job.
Dale was doing a good job getting his team ready, going back to the basics and working on the fundamentals of basketball but his team was not enjoying much success in the beginning. After the town's star player, Jimmy (Maris Valainis), comes to play for him, the final piece of the puzzle falls into place.
For the record, I hate basketball. Can't stand it but something about sports movies, whether or not I like the sport, I just can not get enough of. I could watch a badminton movie if it was done well. I guess I like the whole underdog thing. I liked Hoosiers enough to give it a good review despite what I feel about watching the game itself. Coach Carter was good, too, but not as good as Hoosiers and to be honest, I would never have thought of seeing Hoosiers if I did not see Coach Carter first. Highly recommended if you like sports movies. 8/10