Coach Carter DVD Review:

Coach Carter: Full Court Duress

Sport films have always formed a curious genre. Despite regular critical accolades and the public’s obsession with sports, the films are rarely big hits and soon fade from the public consciousness. Perhaps it is because these films usually don’t feature huge stars, or the material has been mined so many times before, or you just can’t beat the real thing. Recently Hollywood has sought to rectify the second and third points. The dry documentary approach of “Friday Night Lights” lent a fresh flavor to high school football, and the careful choreography of Olympic hockey in “Miracle” matched the actual game almost move for move. Now “Coach Carter” seeks to complete the hat trick by drafting heavyweight Samuel L. Jackson to lead a high school basketball team.

The film tells the story of the real Coach Carter, who made national headlines in 1999 for his no nonsense approach. As with “Miracle,” the knowledge that one is watching real events lends essential credibility to the film, without which it would seem rather contrived. After all “Miracle” spends half the film driving home the point that the Soviets are positively unbeatable, only to have the Americans triumph in the end. Similarly the extreme discipline Carter demands of his players would seem fantastic if we didn’t know otherwise. It’s very difficult to do anything original in sports films, and much of what you see in “Coach Carter” has been done elsewhere. Nonetheless the performances and writing carry it above the obvious clichés, and it loudly raises the very real and debated issue of education for athletes. Plus if you just tuned in to see Jackson lay down some serious browbeatings, there’s plenty of that.

Middle class sporting goods storeowner Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) hesitantly accepts the job of basketball coach at inner city Richmond High School, where he was a star player as a student. It’s a tough neighborhood, and the team has fallen on hard times, undisciplined and unaccomplished. Carter quickly lays down the law, presenting the players with a contract requiring solid academic performance to play. He expels Cruz (Rick Gonzalez) and a couple other star players who give him attitude, and begins a relentless training routine. In his free time team member Kenyon (Rob Brown) is slightly overwhelmed by his girlfriend Kyra’s (Ashanti) pregnancy, intimidated by the responsibility and expense of a baby. Carter’s son Damien (Robert Ri’chard) insists on transferring from his prestigious private school to Richmond to play for his father, who reluctantly accepts but requires far more stringent terms in his contract. The team pulls out its first game by outlasting their opponents, with Damien providing critical help. Cruz watches frustrated from the sidelines, and we see he has become involved in dope dealing. Tired of being shut out, Cruz returns determined to make the team, and Carter assigns him a Herculean workout in order to be reinstated. The team goes on a dazzling winning streak, but soon finds itself challenged by its great ambitions. The players start getting arrogant, Kenyon’s fixation on college pushes away Kyra, and parents cry outrage when Carter puts his foot down over grades.

The film deals with several highly sensitive issues concerning inner city kids and sports. First and foremost is Carter’s policy of rigidly requiring the entire team maintain a level of academic performance above the state mandate. This has long been a hotly debated topic, especially in college sports. Some have charged that stringent requirements deny many students a shot at higher level education and the big leagues, while others like Carter insist it’s a crime to pass kids through the schools without properly educating them. On the surface, it is hard to find fault with Carter’s argument. However it presumes that kids in rundown urban schools are getting the proper opportunity to learn, and there we enter a much grayer area. Carter is also adamant that players be respectful, and therefore not trash talk in games or use the n word toward friends. Again these seem to be sensible positions, but there is evidence that opinion on those behaviors is sometimes divided along racial lines. Indeed were Carter himself not a real black man, it’s not hard to imagine charges of racism being levied against the film.

Rarely one to play against type, Jackson is right at home in another tailor made role. Which is to say he gets to play the furious voice of authority, although an inspirational one. No one does angry like Jackson, and he ably brings Carter’s passion to life. I think the role would have benefited from spending more time on his personal life to make Carter seem better rounded and less of a basketball Terminator, although the story’s focus is really the kids. The young cast turns in generally believable performances, both off the court and on. Only Antwon Tanner as Kenyon’s loudmouth friend Worm comes off a bit cliché. Gonzalez, Brown, and Ashanti are all strong presences and I suspect we’ll see more of them. Lastly Ri’chard sounds and looks so much like Cuba Gooding Jr’s younger brother it’s uncanny. Hopefully he won’t carry the resemblance as far as appearing in Bus Trip.

“Coach Carter” illustrates how the art of filming sports events continues to improve. It used to be these scenes were just vague montages of possibly unconnected shots, where you were often uncertain exactly what was going on or whether the actual actors were even involved. Usually they just pad the running time. In this film however it’s plain that the actors can and are making the tricky moves and shots, and great care is taken to follow each play down the floor so one can clearly see Carter’s strategies unfold. I suppose it would be even more impressive if my basketball knowledge were greater, but I feel confident in saying this is the most exciting and realistic representation of the sport on film so far. This is best displayed in the final game, which really feels like watching ESPN. Often in film the result is telegraphed by obvious musical cues or dramatic developments, but here you’re kept guessing right up until the final buzzer.

Anyone who’s watched the film will be curious about the real Coach Carter, and whether he’s really an atomic blast of fury like Jackson. “Coach Carter: The Man Behind the Movie” explores the real man and the events at Richmond High through interviews with him and the players. It appears that the film was pretty much on target. Although Carter comes off very mellow here, some his old players still seem to bear a grudge over their harsh treatment. “Fast Break at Richmond High” explains how the game scenes were designed and shot, employing relentless training and previsualization of plays via CGI.
As in “Miracle,” the film cast people who could play and then act, rather than vice versa. There are six deleted scenes, and in a break from tradition they are all rather substantial and entertaining, if not absolutely essential. Finally the slick Twista/Faith Evans music video “Hope” will appeal to fans of the film with new storylines played out by some of the actors.

If you’re a fan of sports films you’ll enjoy “Coach Carter,” an above average entry that actually makes you think a little. Otherwise it’s more of the same, although a fiery Jackson still makes it worth a look. Imagine him wearing his “Pulp Fiction” Jheri curl and you’ll soon have a smile on your face. Too bad we never get to see him go medieval on the boards.



Chris Wood

When Ken Carter (Jackson) is offered the chance to return to his old high school in Richmond and coach the basketball team, he inherits a group of young men who only won four games in the previous season. Promising them that he will turn them into winners if they adhere to the rules of a contract that every player has to sign, he starts training the team for the new season. After going undefeated for many games, Coach Carter discovers that even though he has forfilled his promise, his players haven’t and have let their academic progress suffer. Controversially the coach makes the decision to cancel every practice and game until the team’s grades are up to standard.

Sports movies are always the same. We witness a hapless team or player changing their fortunes around and becoming the best that they can be. Can ‘Coach Carter’ be any different?

Based on a true story, the movie has all the hallmarks of a standard sports film but as you get into it you release it is slightly different. Here we have a story of a man who saw potential in his team. This is nothing new in a sports film you might be saying to yourself but the potential he saw wasn’t just on the basketball court.

The film highlights the plight of high school students in the Richmond area, informing us that there is less than a 40% graduation rate and an even smaller percentage that then go onto college. What Coach Ken Carter did was what most of the academic staff should have been doing in the first place, pushing the students to their full potential. To him playing basketball was a privilege and the only way you could play for his team was to have a 2.3 grade point average. This gave the boys the chance to go for college scholarships and a way for changing their lives for the better.

Samuel L. Jackson performance as Ken Carter drives the film. You can imagine actually listening to this man and accepting his methods and rules, as he has you best interests at heart. It could have been so easy for Jackson to play the part as a tyrant or do-gooder but he makes the character believable and someone who has the welfare and future prospects of his players at the forefront of his mind. His support is also good from the young actors who play the Richmond team. Rick Gonzalez stands out as Timo Cruz, the young man tempted by the rewards of a life of crime who gets to see that basketball could be an escape. The rest of the cast are also good, even though they tend to be a little to stereotypical at times.

‘Coach Carter’ is a different kind of feel-good sports movie. While some of the elements are slightly clichéd, there is enough here to be different from the usual, run of the mill sports film that is a forgone conclusion before you even sit down to watch it. Not as hard hitting as it could have been but still very watchable all the same, ‘Coach Carter’ is a movie that has a strong message that most people should listen to.

Star Rating = * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, the movie is presented well.

BONUS FEATURES

Coach Carter: The Man behind the Movie (19.41 mins)

Producer Mike Tollin and star Samuel L. Jackson are joined by the actual Richmond Oilers team members from the class of 1999, to talk about the real Coach Ken Carter. The man himself talks about how he came to Richmond High, his background and connection with the school. The team reveal how they felt about his approach and how the ‘lockout’ affected them and their class. The featurette also takes you behind the scenes of the 5th Anniversary of the Lockout, were the team come back to share what they are doing now and play a game.

Fast Break at Richmond High (11.40 mins)

Producer Mike Tollin, basketball coordinator Mark Ellis, producer Brian Robbins, Coach Ken Carter and stars Samuel L. Jackson, Channing Tatum, Robert Ri’chard, Rob Brown, Texas Battle, Nana Gbewonyo and Rick Gonzalez take you behind the scenes of the basketball training for the movie. Here we see how the actors and extras trained for the shoot and how they endured a rigorous regime under the tutelage of Mark Ellis to prepare them for play the game for up to twelve hours a day.

Deleted Scenes (12.12 mins)

Entitled ‘Damien wants to celebrate with the team’, ‘Worm jokes with coach’, ‘The team checks out mansions’, ‘Kenyon at the party with Berkley girl’, ‘Coach with the team in the library’ and ‘The team welcomes Cruz back/Kyra breaks up with Kenyon’ these deleted scenes are all good but with an introduction or commentary track, we don’t know why they were removed.

Music Video – Twista featuring Faith Evans ‘Hope’ (4.26 mins)

A promotional video that includes appearances by Samuel L. Jackson and the team from ‘Coach Carter’

OVERALL

Paramount has done a good job with the DVD transfer of ‘Coach Carter’. While the inclusion of a commentary track would have been an added bonus, the featurette about the real Coach and his team more than makes up for this. Fans of the film should be very pleased and for those who didn’t catch the theatrical release, this is a good sports movie to rent.

Jamie Kelwick