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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Coach Carter Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Rob Brown, Ashanti, Terrell Byrd, Denise Dowse, Sidney Faison, Rick Gonzalez, Roger Lim, Debbi Morgan, Robert Richard, Antwon Tanner, and Channing Tatum Director: Thomas Carter Scriptwriters: Mark Schwihn and John Gatins Music: Trevor Rabin Paramount Pictures Running Time: two hours and 10 minutes Rating: PG 13 Coach Carter is yet film about the underdog trying to achieve top status in sports. It is based on the life of Coach Ken Carter, who taught inner-city basketball and strived to make the members of his team use good behavior on and off the court. Samuel L. Jackson, as the Coach, looks as though he could tear this team apart with his teeth, but uses restraint in teaching them values at a poverty level school. If you thought Denzel Washington (Remember the Titans) or Kurt Russell (Miracle) were tough training their guys, Jackson makes them look like second-string players. Denise Dowse as Principal Garrison, tries to stand up to Jackson, but really doesn’t have a chance. The story has Carter taking over as a four-month replacement at Richmond High. It is a small, inner-city high school and the basketball team ignores practice rules. That stops in a hurry as the Coach has the guys sign a contract to wear a tie on game day and maintain a 2.0 average, among other things. Breaking the contract means you are off the team. This wakes up a few players who begin to respect the coach, but there are the usual rebels who push the rules. Among them, is Timo (Rick Gonzalez) who thinks being in on the drug trade is appealing. When Carter’s son Damien (Robert Richard) leaves his prep school to play on the inner-city school, the team begins to pull together. The script for Coach Carter packs every problem a coach can encounter into a few months. What a time crunch. There is one player with a pregnant girlfriend, a former player who can’t decide between the drug trade and the team, a principal who questions everything the coach does, parents who are either for the coach, or against the coach, the coach’s girlfriend (Debbi Morgan) who doesn’t see enough of him, and fellow teachers who are either for the coach or against the coach. The importance of grades reaches a peak when the coach cancels games because the players are behind in their homework and padlocks the gym to keep players out. Power play? Ego trip? Yeah, but it works. Coach Carter runs too long with too many scenes of teens making out so we know there is temptation out there. The actual game sequences are well done, but in telling each players story, cuts could have been judiciously made. I wanted to know more about the coach. At times, Jackson is frightening in his intensity and one wonders if the real Coach Carter was like this. Of the stories told, Timo’s and selling drugs is poignant, while the pregnant girlfriend segment plays on way too long. The team sneaking out to a rich girl’s party is in the film for what? Sex appeal? Not needed. I started to lose interest with all the training going on, but rallied for the big game, which is sure to catch everyone’s interest. Be sure and stay through the final credits for interesting information. Copyright 2005 Marie Asner
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