COACH CARTER (***)
Team sport movies follow a tried and true formula: (1) They present players not winning as much as they’d like; (2) employ an inspirational leader who teaches them valuable lessons about life and the sport they love; and (3) have them improve remarkably towards a crucial game (usually a championship), (4) which will be decided by a final play. Members of the genre know how to tick these items off their task list, but the better ones know how to set themselves apart. COACH CARTER does so by making a statement about how our society values the student-athlete, putting more emphasis on “athlete” than “student”, regardless of word order.
The film is biographical portrait of the budding coaching career of Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson), a Richmond High School (CA) alumnus and former player, who accepts a coaching position at his alma mater. The team he inherits suffers bouts of infighting, selfishness, poor offense (and defense), and just plain confusion; you know, the usual symptoms a movie’s sports savior delivers its team from.
And so the coach obliges, with sternness and professionalism that teaches his boys to be men. The movie knows its duty in showing his training methods. We see him run them through conditioning drills for stamina, have them memorize plays named after the women in his life, and go through them to sharpen their on-court execution. An inferior movie would have us witness an illusory technique for their preparation, but this film is too smart for that. These scenes exist not for us to marvel at their uniqueness, but merely to reinforce our notions of the coach’s diligence and discipline.
The real treats come off the court. We learn of the student-athlete contracts each player Mr. Carter requires to have signed (by them and their parents) in order for them to continue playing. The stipulations contained in each are creative and worthwhile, and relatively simple to abide by. When they are abided by, the team flourishes.
We also get to see key players in key moments of their life. Kenyon Stone (Rob Brown) has just learned of his girlfriend Kyra’s (Ashanti) pregnancy, and thus has to learn how to balance sports, studies, and burgeoning fatherhood. Damien Carter (Robert Ri’chard), Ken’s son, forgoes attending a top school to play for his father, regardless of the consequences (Ken’s handling of it though somewhat ideal, is admirable). Junior Battle (Nana Gbewonyo), the team’s prized center, has trouble coming to grips with coach's new terms, but does his best to show willingness and to understand (most notably in one scene with his mother). And Timo Cruz (Rick Gonzalez) has some of the most gripping scenes, where he struggles between life as a gang member, and as a baller.
A most intriguing moment occurs when the terms of the contract have been broken. What happens next I will not reveal, but I will say that it contains truth about what our society has come to value, and how men of principle truly adhere to what they value, regardless of what may be lost. It is sad when a man knows what is right and does his best to root out the true injustice his team is dealt with, but is challenged by a community blinded by entertainment, loss of hope, and false truths. When I heard the words, “Basketball is all they have…” the movie told me all I needed to know, and everything that I have been waiting to hear from a sports movie.
The film’s cast boasts two notable young leads. Rob Brown, who acted toe-to-toe with Sean Connery in FINDING FORRESTER (his first film), has leading man presence written all over him as Kenyon Stone. His performance feels unforced and natural, which is all the more remarkable when you realize that he never took acting classes. His clear athleticism only enhances his credibility here. Rick Gonzalez is equally as impressive Timo Cruz. Accustomed to playing gang bangers in his early outings, he lends an authenticity to the same kind of role here. He has some of the film’s most touching moments involving desperation and loss, evoking a need that goes beyond basketball.
One word describes all of Samuel L. Jackson’s well-known characters. No, not loud (see his subtlety in THE RED VIOLIN), but resolute, and Ken Carter is no exception. This isn’t a snarling, screaming-at-the-top-of-your-lungs emote-fest. He practices reticence, suggests dignity, and exudes authority. Sure he shouts a lot of times, but it’s always at the right time, and with delicious intonation. If his character has any fault, it’s that he is shown without it (Blame the screenwriter, not the actor).
But oh! If only it had known when to end! If the movie has one distinct failing, it is its decision to continue with its protracted and familiar conclusion, which betrays its very essence. It is true that a sport has a powerful way of involving its audience, but only as long as the stakes are made clear. The film’s true conflict is off the court, but its climax is foolishly pursued on it. The final prize the team seeks is scarcely as satisfying as their coach’s central conflict.
Alas, the point is moot. Despite its familiar storyline, and misplaced third act, COACH CARTER has a theme which its contemporaries wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. It elicits our concern regardless of its predictability, and has rare truisms that true sportsmen will be glad to see. Did I mention that its based on actual events?
Hey, isn't this the positive-themed sports movie that people have been clamoring for? There you have it.
Note: Want to know what Ken Carter has been up to? Check out http://www.coachcarter.com to find out.
Posted by FLIPCRITIC at March 28, 2005 05:42 PM