Customer Reviews

Coach Carter

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

My daughter came over to visit this weekend, and she suggested that we rent this film. Since it stars Samuel L. Jackson and is about a high school basketball coach, I thought that it sounded promising. Well, it turned to be more than just promising. It is a movie that held me riveted to the screen the entire time it was on. Samuel L. Jackson is simply outstanding in the role of a high school coach who sees basketball as the means to an end and not the end itself.

Based upon a true story that took place in Richmond, California, it centers on a man named Ken Carter. He was asked by the retiring basketball coach of Richmond High School to return as a part-time basketball coach to the school from which Ken had graduated and left his mark many years earlier. The school is one of those schools in which people barely graduate and, of those that do, most do not go on to college. The basketball team was no great shakes either, having won only four games in the entire previous year.

Finally, Carter is prevailed upon to take over as coach. He has, however, decided that he wants to make a difference. He starts off by letting the team know who is boss and by trying to instill discipline and respect. He wants to go back to fundamentals. He wants to put the emphasis on being a student athlete. To this end, he makes it clear just what his expectations are. He drafts a contract that those who wish to remain on the team, as well as their parent, must sign. Some of the conditions are that the players must attend class, do their schoolwork, and pass their classes. Those who signed the contract ended up making the best move of their lives.

Coach Carter keeps his side of the bargain, turning the team into a formidable one on the court. Suddenly, basketball at Richmond High School begins commanding attention. Notwithstanding this, he still emphasizes that they are to be just as committed to their studies. While one might expect some resistance from the student athletes to such a change, one would expect support from the educators themselves. What is amazing is the resistance that he experiences from the teaching community who are reluctant to give him progress reports on how his players were doing academically.

When Coach Carter finally gets his long awaited progress reports and discovers that some of his student athletes are not holding up their end of the contract, all hell breaks loose. Even though they have had an undefeated season so far, he basically locks the gym and tells his players that there will be no more basketball, until he sees some academic improvement. To his surprise, the school board, as well as the parents, does not support him in this matter, and the situation becomes a media sensation on the West Coast. Support comes from an unexpected source, the student athletes themselves.

This is a heartwarming story about a coach who cared and dared to make a difference in the lives of kids that had little or no future. What he did for those students was incomparable, as he basically gave them a chance for a better life. Samuel L. Jackson is sensational as Coach Carter, dynamic and totally believable in the role. The young men who play his student athletes likewise give excellent performances. Ashanti also gives a surprisingly well nuanced performance as the girlfriend of one of the student athletes. Moreover, for those who enjoy great basketball, the on court scenes are extremely well done.

At the end of the film, there is a summary of what happened to these young men. When the viewer sees what happened to them, the viewer cannot help be but touched by the turn of events. Moreover, the DVD has a featurette on the real Coach Carter and the real student athletes for whom the appointment of Ken Carter was literally a life saving measure. This is a very well acted, deftly directed, inspirational film and one that is worthy of being in one's personal collection.

I saw an advance screening of this film, and really enjoyed it -- Samuel L. Jackson was very compelling in this "White Shadow"-like role. Uplifting story about a man who takes over as high school basketball coach for an inner city school. He turns the team around from a team that can't win, to one that goes virtually undefeated, and along the way instills discipline and an emphasis on studying that impacts the players lives in a much deeper way. The ending was a little surprising, but given that it was a true story, sometime hollywood endings need to take a backseat. I'd highly recommend this movie to high school students and for those who enjoy sports and stories about beating the odds.

As far as how many stars this movie gets, I agree with reviewer William Weaver. Coach Carter features Samuel L. Jackson following the real-life story of Ken Carter, who took on the job of head basketball coach at Richmond High School (in California, not Virginia). He soon discovers that the kids on the team are pretty ghetto, to say the least, but that doesn't stop him from trying to whip the kids into shape by issuing basketball contracts that he expects them to live up to if they want to play on the team. I won't go into the details of the contract because most of the other reviewers already did that, but what I WILL say is that some people won't believe the consequences that occur after all the students don't live up to the guidelines of the contract.

The movie's subplot is pretty interesting, too: one of the boys on the team, Kenyon Stone (played by Rob Brown, which I believe is his first big role since the overlooked Finding Forrester), is rationally trying to figure out how he's going to play basketball and go to college when he has a baby coming with his girlfriend Kyra (played by Ashanti, who actually does a good job in her role; as does former 3LW lead singer Adrienne Bailon, who still looks SEXXXY...*clears throat*). Anyway, this storyline may look played-out on paper, but it's a lot more interesting than it sounds, especially what happens at the end.

It was also interesting to see Ken Carter's son Damien (Robert Ri'chard) transfer to Richmond High and join the basketball team as a freshman, and his having to serve the same consequences that every other team member had to. I was kind of hoping that there would be some scenes depicting the Carters at home and Damien complaining about how harsh the daily practice exercises were. Oh well, Coach Carter is still a truly extraordinary movie. You have to be trippin' NOT to see it.

Anthony Rupert

Coach Carter tells a great story and provokes a lot of thought about why some cultures consistently fail. The film itself was good, but given the subject matter, it could have been a 5 star film.

Samuel Jackson is very convincing in his role, and the young men who act as his players are well cast. This film had a lot in common with Hoosiers, which is the best basketball film ever made. Like Hoosiers, you have an inspiring story with twists and turns. How you feel about the movie beyond that depends on what your personal preferences are. If you like basketball (unlike the Amazon.com official review shown above), you will enjoy the well-choreographed basketball sequences. If you are in to rap music, you may like the soundtrack. My problem with the film is that I'm not a big rap music fan. Also, I don't feel the need to hear profane ghetto talk thoughout some of the movie. The movie seemed to be aimed at young rapsters, which is fine. Since I'm not a young rapster, I didn't enjoy some aspects of the movie. Nonetheless, this was a good movie over all.

This was not a movie for those under 13, as the rating indicates. The language is poor, there are some sexual scenes, and the abortion issue (a distraction to the film) is present.

The movie does bring up the question of why some cultures fail. I liked the fact that this film made it a cultural issue instead of a race issue by having various races on the team and at the school. We see that some cultures simply don't understand that academics are required to get ahead in the modern world. This total lack of an educational emphasis keeps some groups behind, even if there is no racism. The ray of hope is Coach Carter. He refuses to believe that his kids can't do it. He chooses to believe that the kids can do it and that he, one man, can make a major difference. This segment of the story is so inspiring that I wish this film could be shown to all ages. However, maybe the message will reach young men and women who can still make a difference in their own lives. History has shown that individuals from poor cultures can make choices that lead them to become successful, regardless of the obstacles.

The DVD has a story on the real Coach Carter that is worth a look.

These are the movies where you know you will get the real deal. No Hollywood ending and no false impressions. Real life story of a Man... a Coach... a SIR! that takes it upon himself to help turnaround a team of young kids and turns then into MEN. A must see FAMILY movie to help people realize a lil something extra about sports these days. Show it to your kids.. your team.. your students. You will come out wanting to improve your own life. Basketball changes lives... may not be so obvious.. but after watching this movie you will see why.

COACH CARTER!

If you heard Samuel L. Jackson discuss Coach Carter on the typical media blitz before the movie's release, you could tell this was a truly special role in his dynamite career. And the message delivered shows how sports - placed in its proper perspective - can boost young men to better understand the game of life.

Ken Carter is a successful sporting goods owner who accepts the head coaching position at Richmond (Ca.) High School, where he had been a top athlete back in the day. But the game isn't all that Carter is coaching; he institutes written contracts for each player that includes behavior, dress code and grade stipulations.

In 1999, Carter gained national attention when he benched his undefeated team due to poor academic achievement by 15 of the 45 players. Not only was the gym closed, there was a ban on all basketball-related activities and he was prepared to cancel the rest of the season, even with a bitter backlash from school officials, fans, players & their family members.

Jackson does an outstanding job in portraying a coach who understood that a game can teach crucial lessons in life. Rick Gonzalez (Timo Cruz), Nana Gbewonyo (Junior Battle) and Ashanti (Kyra) also do great jobs, though the entire cast really clicked with the script.

Coach Carter is not just a sports movie and its theme is very important for adults as much as it is for the athletes.

The movie Coach Carter is a powerful but yet emotional movie, it is also heart wrenching and inspirational. There are so many aspects that are enjoyable, exciting and meaningful. I felt that the movie's storyline was very important, as it was a message and moral sent out to not only teenagers and sportspeople, but I felt it was sending out a message to adults as well. I also felt that the music used was very upbeat and new age and well suited to the movie. Personally I though that it was one of the greatest movie's I have ever seen and I enjoyed just about everything in this movie.

Coach Carter is based on a true story. A heart warming story about a coach who cared and dared to make a difference in the lives of kids that had little or no future; he basically gave them a chance for a better life. It is about an ex-student at Richmond high school, Ken Carter, who offers to coach the school's basket ball team in hope of turning it around. He is trying to improve the player's games as well as their lives. Throughout the movie the team faces many ups and downs, learns many lessons and also realises the importance of everything Coach Ken Carter teaches them. One of the biggest things the team gains is working together as a team and having team spirit. In the end the team never gives up and realises that they have made their lives so much better. They also achieved something that is much more than winning.

The message in this movie mainly aimed towards teenagers. It emphasises that education is the first step on the path to a great sports star or athlete and that it is possible for students who are raised in the poor neighbourhoods to escape from that type of lifestyle. It is also a message of the importance of education and that school should always come first before sports. The general moral is that you have to put effort in to achieve and to grow an understanding of what students or anyone are really capable of. It is a positive message and includes good intentions.

You Can't Miss With:

Coach Carter

Movie title: Coach Carter

Produced by: Paramount Home Videos

Date released: June 21, 2005

Length: 1 hour 16 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Do you like sports movies packed with drama and suspense? If so, you would really enjoy Coach Carter Starring Samuel L. Jackson in one of his best performances yet as Coach Carter. Learn about one basketball teams struggle to succeed not only on the court but off. Will they let drugs, crime, and heartbreak overcome them? Or will they come together and succeed.

First of all this movie has a fantastic storyline. It's about a basketball team faced with drugs and crime that come together as one and proves to everyone and themselves they can meet their standards and excel even farther.

Next this movie has a lot of drama. For instance when Coach Carter puts a lockout on the gym and cancels all future games until the players can up their academics. He now not only has the team against him, but the whole town too.

Finally this movie has very good actors. "One of Samuel L. Jackson's best performances." (Jeffery Lyons NBC) Also Coach Carter stars pop-music icon Ashanti. This movie almost comes to life with the outstanding actors.

Also this movie shows it doesn't pay to do drugs and crime. It teaches you to stick to your gut and make your own decisions and that you're stronger together than you are alone.

This was an awesome movie. It had the traditional basketball story-line but was spiced up perfectly. It was packed with drama and left you feeling a part of the team.

I recommend this movie to ages twelve and up because of some language and drug material. Whoever enjoys a good sports movie packed with drama and suspense will probably like this movie. If you like fairy tale endings and dislike sports movies, you won't like it.

All in all remember crime and drugs won't get you anywhere but sticking through the heart break and staying together, that can get you anywhere.

This is the type of movie we have seen before, i.e., the tough teacher or coach who whips a tough bunch of kids into shape and they end up defying expectations. This type of movie has to follow the formula in order to work, however. Afterall, if the tough coach fails to turn lives around, then what would the movie be? Similarly, if the coach has an easy job to do and a group of overpriviledged kids live up to their high expectations, again, what kind of a movie would it be? So, whether the movie works is really in how well the story is told and in the twists and turns in its telling since we know what the formula is. Here, it is very well done and the result is a wonderful movie.

Coach Ken Carter, a successful local businessman, takes on the daunting task of coaching the basketball team in his Richmond, CA. alma mater, where he was a star high school player a generation earlier. The kids are tough but Coach Carter is tougher. In order to play on the team, they must follow an almost unendurable regimen of fitness and discipline. If they are guilty of transgressions, they have to do an unimaginable number of pushups and suicides. They sign contracts in which they agree to do well in school. When academic updates show that they have fallen short in their studies, coach Carter cancels games, practice and locks the gym. In order for the season to resume, they must improve in the classroom.

Predictably, Coach Carter receives resistance from parents, teachers, the school administration and the school board. In spite of these obstacles, he pushes on. The results are heartwarming and a trailer at the end of the movie shows that most of his players went on to achieve success after graduating from high school. So, not only did Coach carter mold a fine team, he changed lives.

Yes, we kow how the movie will unfold but, it unfolds so well and the movie is so well cast that it is a five star effort which I highly recommend.

Great true life story about a coach that actually believes some things are more important than basketball. Coach Carter pulls the team together (by some unorthodox methods) and makes winners out of them. Good basketball/training sequences, characters and message.

It was not a perfect movie - I found the side "relationship" story distracting and not adding anything to the overall story. Also, I realize they were trying to capture the feel of the neighborhood, but the music (lots of rap), language, partying, etc. was a little much.

But overall an uplifting basketball movie.