“Discipline, Determination, and the Real Cost of Winning”: Have you ever heard that quote before? If your answer is yes that you have probably watched one of the best basketball movies of all time, “Coach Carter”.
“Coach Carter,” directed by Thomas Carter and starring Samuel L. Jackson, is based on true events and was released in 2005. It is available on popular streaming sites like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney Plus. The movie itself did well in the box office, making $345 million on a filming budget of $30 million per The Numbers. Jackson played the role of former Richmond High School basketball standout who returned to Richmond High as head coach, hoping to improve the school’s horrible program.
Samuel L. Jackson delivered one of his best performances of his career portraying Carter as a man who views basketball as a vehicle for academic and personal transformation rather than fame. He creates a strict contract in hopes of not only improving the team, but also the players futures. He requires players to maintain at least a 2.3 GPA, sit in the front row of their classes, and wear ties on game days. When Carter’s team starts to fail the contract’s expectations, he does not take it lightly. He locked the gym and canceled games, sparking controversy that rippled through the community.
The film did an excellent job at showing each player’s individual problems, including Coach Carter himself who had to decide what to do with his own son who had transferred to Richmond. Director Thomas Carter did a phenomenal job making the games short and sweet, but still impactful. He highlighted the most important parts of the game, typically being the beginning and ending. This helped the movie flow and focus of the main idea of the story being the boys’ personal and athletic achievements.
Overall, “Coach Carter” was rated a solid 4/5 stars on Rotten Tomatoes and personally I would rate “Coach Carter” a 9/10 due to the excitement and drama it brought to the table. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys basketball or coaching in general.
