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Movies / Upcoming / Coach Carter
Coach Carter

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Coach Carter (2005)

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Reviews Counted:141

Fresh:90

Rotten:51

Average Rating:6/10

Consensus: Like a good point guard, Samuel L. Jackson is the clear leader on the floor in a film that critics say transcends its formula trappings to be inspirational. However, some have said the film is too preachy and too long.

Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $67,169,549

Synopsis: In the tradition of LEAN ON ME and DANGEROUS MINDS comes COACH CARTER, an inspirational drama starring Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson portrays real-life figure Ken Carter, who graduated from... In the tradition of LEAN ON ME and DANGEROUS MINDS comes COACH CARTER, an inspirational drama starring Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson portrays real-life figure Ken Carter, who graduated from California's Richmond High only to return there years later, in 1999, and take over as head coach of the boys' basketball team. Unfortunately, the troubled school he remembered as a teenager is an even more insufferable place in his adulthood. Determined to make a change in his players' lives, Carter makes each young man sign a contract that ensures he will maintain a 2.3 GPA, attend every class, and wear a jacket and tie on game day. Of course, the players reject the contract at first, but when they realize that they don't have any other choice, they give in. And when it appears that their tough-as-nails coach is actually turning them into winners on the court, they embrace their coach's philosophy even further. But when Coach Carter receives the incomprehensibly awful progress reports of his players, he does the unthinkable: he benches the entire team. Directed by Thomas Carter (SAVE THE LAST DANCE), COACH CARTER is a sensitive drama that features an impassioned performance by Jackson, as well as the impressive young cast (most notably Rob Brown, Rick Gonzalez, and Robert Ri'Chard). [More]

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Ri'chard, Rob Brown, Debbi Morgan

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Ri'chard, Rob Brown, Debbi Morgan, Ashanti, Antwon Tanner, Ramsey Gbelawoe

Director: Thomas Carter

Director: Thomas Carter
Screenwriter: Mark Schwahn, John Gatins
Producer: Brian Robbins, Mike Tollin, David Gale
Studio: Paramount Pictures

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Reviews for Coach Carter

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
05/27/05
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The clear irony of this genre is that it seeks to tell the story of a rebel in as conventional a way as possible.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment 1 Comment
01/13/05
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

If only Shaq and Kobe had Coach Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) at the helm, the two fellas would be holding hands, frolicking in fields of daisies and racking up a few more NBA titles.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/14/05
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
01/14/05
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
01/15/05
Boston Phoenix
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
10/18/08
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Samuel L. Jackson plays the real-life coach of a high school basketball team in this solid, unsurprising sports drama.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/13/05
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The kind of boot-strap-pulling, tear-duct-tickling, I-am-Spartacus-crowing movie-on-a-mission that might rankle more cynical movie goers but sets hearts aflutter for most everyone else.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/14/05
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

Treats its subject in such a neutered, worshipful fashion that it ultimately does the actual accomplishment a disservice.

Full Review Source: The Stranger (Seattle, WA) | comment Comment
01/13/05
Andrew Wright
Andrew Wright
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

When critics join in accepting this junk, is it any wonder few directors bother with fresh visions?

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Mercury | comment Comment
01/13/05
Anthony Del Valle
Anthony Del Valle
Las Vegas Mercury

Samuel L. Jackson's intense, dynamic presence lifts this film above the usual sports movie and makes it one to remember.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/17/05
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

Not even Jackson's thundering dynamism lifts the drama from mediocrity.

Full Review Source: Dallas Observer | comment Comment
01/14/05
Bill Gallo
Bill Gallo
Dallas Observer

The movie's 'message' -- life is more than just sports -- is delivered with the delicacy of a piano dropped from a fifth-story window.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
01/13/05
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

God love Coach Carter and what he's done to improve real kids' educations. But movies shouldn't feel like school, even when their subject is learning.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
01/14/05
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

Thank goodness then for go-to guy Jackson. He takes what could have been a cardboard cliche role and puts flesh on it with his flamboyant intelligence.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
01/13/05
Bob Townsend
Bob Townsend
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

If you can claw your way through some ugly material and shoddy direction, there are some good messages here that can be warmly received.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
01/14/05
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
FilmJerk.com

By making the choices the filmmakers did here, we get a movie that may not be profound, but it's both highly entertaining for its sports and fascinating for its social issues.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
12/11/08
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

If you've spent a week with CBS' prime-time lineup, you've heard this tune a million times.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
01/13/05
Carina Chocano
Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Features bursts of humor and electrifying energy offset by speechifying and a dud of a subplot.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/14/05
Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
San Francisco Chronicle
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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