Dir. Thomas Carter, 2005, USA, 136 mins
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Rob Brown, Robert Ri'chard
Based on a true story, this MTV produced sports drama involves Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson), who agrees to coach the Oilers, the Richmond High School basketball team. Determined to turn the basketball players into a winning team, Carter takes a firm but fair disciplinarian approach to his job. As well instituting a strict training programme to improve the players' basketball skills, Carter also employs unusual methods to ensure that his players remain committed both to the game of basketball and their studies in the classroom. He gets every player to address him as Sir, and insists that they address him in the same way as a sign of respect. He also gets the team to sign contracts, which state that each of them will pledge to attend their other classes and achieve above average academic grades in exchange for his tutoring them in basketball.
Despite many clashes between Carter and various team members, the arrangement appears to work. Carter turns around the Oilers losing streak on the basketball court and they look all set to become serious contenders in the high school championships. That is until Carter discovers that many players have broken their contracts and not made the grade in their other classes. Carter proceeds to lock the gym and denies the players access to the basketball court until they improve their grades. Not only does Carter's decision upset the players, but he also meets stiff opposition from the players' parents and school staff. But Carter will not back down and is determined to prove that the players under his tutelage can be just as successful in a classroom as they can do on a basketball pitch, maybe even better.
As the story of Carter's struggle with the team develops, other subplots involving the players begin unfold. There's Kenyan (Rob Brown, an excellent player and bright student who is torn between domestic responsibilities with his girlfriend, Kyra (Ashanti) and the chance of academic success that, with Carter's help, he is close to achieving. There's also Timo Cruz (Rick Gonzalez) who is tempted by the easy life and riches offered by drug dealing on the streets, but who is also drawn to Carter's offer of a more responsible and rewarding way to personal and professional success. As Carter's battle to get the team back on track goes on, so the players try to sort out their lives and do their best on and off the basketball court.
The film sounds like any number of 'underdogs triumph over adversity' films, while the 'new teacher in a high school/ghetto environment' plot echoes films like Dangerous Minds (1995), which was loosely based on a real story, and 187 (1997), which also starred Samuel L. Jackson. Although many of the characters and situations in Coach Carter have been seen before, the film is refreshingly optimistic in its outlook. Although the conditions that the characters find themselves in are tough and seem insurmountable, Carter shows the players that it's possible to break out of the difficult circumstances that they find themselves in, instead of getting crushed by them. Director Thomas Carter, (no relation of Coach Carter, and who is probably getting tired of telling this to inquisitive journos), best known for Save the Last Dance (2001) and Metro (1997), keeps things moving on efficiently, and juggles the various plots skilfully, maintaining our interest in the various characters and situations. Also, in a refreshing twist on conventions, a couple of developments in the latter stages of the film come as something of a surprise, overturning our expectations of events that have been developed more predictably in other films.
As effective and inspiring as much of the film is, some areas of the story are frustratingly unexplored, such as the conflict between Ken Carter and his son Damien (Robert Ri'Chard), a situation full of dramatic potential. Any child who has a parent that teaches at a school they attend must be torn between their obligations to their friends and their loyalty to their family. Damien chooses to play on his father's team and agrees to his fulfil his contract, and Ken Carter treats his son in the same way as the other players. However, surely the son must have felt pressure from his father, even if he respected and admired him? And did Damien suffer any resentment and outright hostility from his teammates?
As Ken Carter, Sam Jackson has given this sort of performance before (a figure of measured calm and wisdom who then shouts and glares when push comes to shove), but he's more subdued than normal here. On screen for most of the film, Jackson makes Carter a tough, charismatic presence and a believable role model for the teenagers in the film. However, what the film fails to do is shed much light on Ken Carter himself. There are hints about Carter's motivation behind his decision to coach the Richmond team, but what led him to teach basketball at the school? Was it just because he was once a player for Richmond High School in his youth? Of course, the argument would be that Carter is more concerned with his students' welfare than his own, and so it makes sense of the film to be more about their achievements than his life. This is a laudable sentiment, but because Carter is such a remarkable man, and is played by such a noteworthy actor, the audience may crave more information about the title character.
Although Coach Carter is an inspirational film that stands as a worthy testament to the talent and resilience of Ken Carter and his students, the film makes many of their real life achievements come across as slightly phoney. Throughout the film, a number of problems and obstacles seem to be easily swept aside by an impassioned speech from Coach Carter, which feels too neatly scripted and is often accompanied by stirring strings on the soundtrack. The outstanding accomplishments of Ken Carter and his pupils are impressive on their own, and don't need the addition of melodramatic elements to bolster them. A quick read of the film's press notes reveals that there's more to Ken Carter's story than the events depicted in the film that bears his name. Perhaps a documentary about Carter (surely an essential addition to the film's DVD release) would shed much more light on the life of this remarkable individual, whose belief in the potential of his students inspired them to reach remarkable heights. As with many biopics of extraordinary individuals, you may be tempted to discover more about the man and his life once the film is over, and in Ken Carter's case, this is a story worth following up.
Martyn Bamber
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