Coach Carter is a 2005 film from Paramount Pictures, directed by Thomas Carter. It is based on a true story, in which Richmond High School (Richmond, California, USA) head basketball coach Ken Carter made headlines in 1999 for benching his undefeated team due to poor academic results.
The screenplay was co-written by Mark Schwahn, who created the hit TV series One Tree Hill. The movie also recycles a handful of plotlines from another hit TV series, The White Shadow, which director Thomas Carter co-starred in.
Plot
The movie begins with a basketball team playing against St. Francis, only to end up with the teams fighting with each other. After the game, Kenneth Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) is officially offered a part-time, low-paying ($1,500 for the whole basketball season) job coaching the basketball team at his old high school, an inner-city public school in Richmond, California for which he had previously played and set as of yet unbroken records. Although he discovers the players to be unruly and disrespectful, he accepts and starts to gain their respect.
Coach Carter sets strict new rules for the team in the form of contracts — they must maintain a 2.3 grade point average (not just the 2.0 GPA set by the CHSAA), they must attend classes and sit in the front row, and they must wear jackets and ties on game days. One of the players, Timo Cruz (Rick Gonzalez), walks out of practice on the first day after an altercation with Carter. Cruz is later seen hanging with his older, drug-dealing cousin, Renny. Two other team members walk out on the team, who were coincidently last season's scoring leaders. However, Carter's son Damien, a good student who attended and played basketball at the private school St. Francis, quits the private school (against his father's wishes) and transfers to Richmond High School to play basketball on his father's team. Carter only agreed after Damien signed a contract stating that he will maintain a GPA of 3.7.
The movie shows the personal side of some players like Kenyon (Rob Brown), whose pregnant girlfriend, Kyra (Ashanti) has given up on her plans for college in favor of having the baby, even though she sees first-hand how that has gone for her cousin. Kenyon becomes confused, unable to decide whether he should continue with his academic life and play basketball in college or take care of the baby. Meanwhile, Cruz goes back and forth between dealing drugs and playing on the team. He walks in on practice one day, asking to return. Carter challenges him with the seemingly impossible task of 1000 suicides and 2500 pushups to be completed in less than a week. Cruz comes close to the set number but is unable to fully finish. His teammates impress Carter by offering to do the rest of the suicides and pushups for Cruz, after which Carter allows Cruz back on the team. Together, Carter and the team, after a heavy course of working out win their first match only to be followed by multiple consecutive wins while in the previous season the team had lost 22 games and only had four wins. Carter is also found on several occasions through out the movie asking Cruz what is his deepest fear.
Despite the team's winning record, Carter eventually realizes the players are developing bad attitudes by being arrogant and taunting the other teams, and that many of them are not living up to his academic requirements. Carter solved the former problem by making fun of them in practice and eventually putting a rule that cocky behavior was prohibited. Later, the team is invited to play in a tournament which they win in dramatic fashion over the home squad. Not only did they win the tournament but they also were invited to a rich girl's house for a party with her friends. They sneaked out only to be discovered missing when Carter went looking for his son. A taxi driver offers to tell Carter about the team's whereabouts. Carter goes to the house to confront his players, coming face to face with the home's owners who had just arrived home. Carter finds Damien in the pool with two girls, kissing one of them. Other members are also soon found including one player who was upstairs with the daughter of the owners. Carter is infuriated with the team's behavior, threatening them with the toughest practices they've had to date.
After receiving the poor grades reports of the team, Carter cracks down on them and locks them out of the gym in the midst of the still undefeated season. He cancels basketball practice, forfeits games including the most important game of the season, and makes the team spend practice time in the library, being tutored by some of their teachers. Although a few of the players are fulfilling the contract (including one who protests that he has a 3.3 GPA), Carter insists that all the players must accept the consequences for their collective actions as a team. All of this leads to Cruz quitting the team a second time, eventually going back to work for Renny.
Late one night, Renny is shot and killed on the sidewalk while Cruz is walking back to him after greeting his friends from the team. Cruz ends up at Carter's house that night, apologizing for his behavior and begging him to allow him back on the team.
Eventually, the school board and the parents fight back against Carters actions. The board eventually votes 4–2 to end the lockout, the dissenting votes being the school's principal and the chairwoman of the board. Carter is on the verge of quitting, but when he arrives at the gym to pack up his things, he finds the players sitting at school desks in the gym, with their teachers tutoring them. The players point out that even though the gym is reopened, the school board can't force them to play. Cruz is finally able to answer Carter's question, "What is your deepest fear?", by quoting Marianne Williamson:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?' Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone, and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Carter is heartened and decides to stay, thanking the players.
After a fight with his girlfriend, Kenyon receives a full scholarship to Sacramento State University. He then goes back to his girlfriend, telling her that the college wants to help them, as married students with a baby only to discover that she chose to abort the pregnancy. Regardless, they get back together.
The team makes it into the state high-school championship playoffs. The big climactic game takes place at the state tournament's first round against the #1 ranked team in the state, St. Francis (starring a superstar NBA prospect). The score, with four seconds to go, is 68–67 Richmond. In the last possible second, St. Francis scores one last basket, taking the score to 70–68 St. Francis . The team is understandably disappointed by the loss, but Carter gives them an inspirational talk about all they've accomplished, and tells them that this loss wont ever take away what they've accomplished.
Over the closing song, it is told that six of the players went on to college (this was a school at which only about 50% of students graduated, and only 6% of those who graduate usually went to college). Junior Battle went to San Jose State University on a full scholarship. Jason Lyle went to San Diego State University and received a degree in Business Administration. Timo Cruz attended Humboldt State University where he became a starting guard. Worm (whose real name is Jaron Willis) received a scholarship to San Francisco State University where he played point guard for four years. Kenyon Stone attended Sacramento State University and received a degree in Communications. Damien Carter went on to break the Richmond High School scoring and assist records previously held by his father. Upon graduation, he attends the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Critical Reception
The reviews for the film were mixed, and as of 1 June 2008 it has a 63% fresh meter at rottentomatoes.com. Critics gave Jackson considerable praise for what they believed to be his strongest performance.
Box Office
The movie debuted at #1 on the U.S. Box Office and has grossed over $67 million to date. However, the movie was not as big of a hit worldwide, managing to bring in only $9 million overseas, for a total of $76 million.
Soundtrack
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The film features the song "Hope" by Twista and Faith Evans as the main song off the film's soundtrack. An extensive list of songs is featured on the soundtrack which differs from the soundtrack recording. The recording has five songs which were not featured in the film : About da game by Trey Songz; Balla by Mack 10 featuring Da Hood; Beauty queen by CzarNok; What Love Can Do by Letoya; and Wouldn't You Like to Ride, Kanye West; Malik Usef, Common.
Awards/Nominations
- Image Awards
- Outstanding Motion Picture: (Nominated)
- Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Samuel L. Jackson (Winner)
- Outstanding Director for a Motion Picture: Thomas Carter (Nominated)
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Ashanti (Nominated)
Trivia
- The movie is set in 2004 instead of 1999 when the actual events took place.
- "Our greatest fear" by Marianne Williamson is referenced throughout the film by Coach Carter, and a wayward youth (Timo Cruz) recites an edited version of the poem to prove his reformation. Leaving out the sentences "Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God." "We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us."
- The school that actually beat the Oilers was not St. Francis, but Monte Vista High School.
- The movie states that Coach Carter attended George Mason University. In actuality, Carter attended George Fox University.
TV Series
A TV pilot is being developed for the 2009-10 season. Robert Ri'chard is set to return as Damien Carter. Ving Rhames has been cast as Coach Carter. Chris Brown and Tahj Mowry have been cast in unknown roles. Ashanti has expressed interest in returning for a guest spot. Tiffany Evans has recently been cast as Seria. Seria is a love interest for Chris Brown's character Chris. Cassandra Ventura will play the lead female character.
CBS has postponed the pilot to next fall in subject to this Tiffany Evans has dropped out.
Cast
External links
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