Review of Coach Carter (2005) by Cassandra B — 02 Aug 2009

Hmmm sports films rarely go down well with me, so I was a little wary of this one, but in actual fact I found it quite compelling! Instead of being the usual sports narrative of the underdogs winning over adversary, this film follows a coach who tackles a team of high school underachievers by teaching them winning isn't just about winning basketball games but also learning.

There is a strong â??stay in schoolâ?? message but it is not unwelcome; instead it looks at the problem with youth culture being taught nothing but to excel at sports, only to fail at everything else and for their lives to collapse.

Samuel L. Jackson plays a powerful role model as Coach Carter, a man set to bend and break every rule and risk his career and reputation. Worth a watch.