With the possible exception of Tommy Lee Jones, no one is better suited to dish out stone-faced, my-way-or-the-highway discipline than Jackson.
Coach Carter (2005)
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Reviews Counted:141
Fresh:90
Rotten:51
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: Like a good point guard, Samuel L. Jackson is the clear leader on the floor in a film that critics say transcends its formula trappings to be inspirational. However, some have said the film is too preachy and too long.
Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for violence, sexual content, language, teen partying and some drug material.
Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:25-02-2005
Synopsis: In the tradition of LEAN ON ME and DANGEROUS MINDS comes COACH CARTER, an inspirational drama starring Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson portrays real-life figure Ken Carter, who graduated from... In the tradition of LEAN ON ME and DANGEROUS MINDS comes COACH CARTER, an inspirational drama starring Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson portrays real-life figure Ken Carter, who graduated from California's Richmond High only to return there years later, in 1999, and take over as head coach of the boys' basketball team. Unfortunately, the troubled school he remembered as a teenager is an even more insufferable place in his adulthood. Determined to make a change in his players' lives, Carter makes each young man sign a contract that ensures he will maintain a 2.3 GPA, attend every class, and wear a jacket and tie on game day. Of course, the players reject the contract at first, but when they realize that they don't have any other choice, they give in. And when it appears that their tough-as-nails coach is actually turning them into winners on the court, they embrace their coach's philosophy even further. But when Coach Carter receives the incomprehensibly awful progress reports of his players, he does the unthinkable: he benches the entire team. Directed by Thomas Carter (SAVE THE LAST DANCE), COACH CARTER is a sensitive drama that features an impassioned performance by Jackson, as well as the impressive young cast (most notably Rob Brown, Rick Gonzalez, and Robert Ri'Chard). [More]
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Ri'chard, Rob Brown, Debbi Morgan
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Ri'chard, Rob Brown, Debbi Morgan, Ashanti, Antwon Tanner, Ramsey Gbelawoe
Director: Thomas Carter
Director: Thomas Carter
Screenwriter: Mark Schwahn, John Gatins
Producer: Brian Robbins, Mike Tollin, David Gale
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Reviews for Coach Carter
Filled with cliches, a run-of-the-mill screenplay and the groan-inducing MTV Films formula.
There is a lot of excitement and tension as the team progresses in the season. The only problem is the need to show every game - it suffers from overkill.
The combination of believable ball play, solid performances and hard-nosed inspiration make for worthwhile entertainment during this post-holiday season.
Predictable, schmaltzy, and old as the hills, but so well-made that it is a sort of triumph.
The young cast is more sure of themselves shooting hoops than showing emotion, but Jackson holds the screen so well that he gives them extra focus and presence.
The clear irony of this genre is that it seeks to tell the story of a rebel in as conventional a way as possible.
In the film, Coach Carter orders his students to maintain a 2.3 grade point average. If he were to review his own movie, we imagine he’d propose a similar kind of deal.
The surprises come in filmmaker Thomas Carter's refusal to wholly give in to clichés.
Coach Carter is like the coach’s players themselves: there’s more to the film than first meets the eye...
A mealy conglomeration of high-school-sports movies, teacher-who-motivates-students movies, and inner-city-kids-have-a-tough-life movies.
Nothing but the coach's gutsy move and the fact that it really happened distinguishes this movie from a litany of past basketball dramas.
It qualifies its thrill of victory with a very sober message: few high school athletes become NBA millionaires, many are cheated out of an education.
The movie's not all didactic. It's also fun, thanks to exuberant actors Antwon Tanner, Channing Tatum, Rob Brown, Rick Gonzalez, Robert Ri'chard and other Richmond Oilers.
The man himself and what he accomplishes take a back seat to unnecessary subplots that drag down the movie.
The main problem with Coach Carter can be summed up simply: too much sermonizing.
If you've spent a week with CBS' prime-time lineup, you've heard this tune a million times.
The movie's 'message' -- life is more than just sports -- is delivered with the delicacy of a piano dropped from a fifth-story window.
Coach Carter will be greeted with reviews that overflow with sports metaphors. Let's just say that the movie scores solidly.
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