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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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61 - 80 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

An inspirational story that is radically diminished by the calm acceptance of out of wedlock pregnancy of black high school students and the shameless promotion of abortion.

Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
01/14/05
Tony Medley
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com

Jackson's presence alone raises Coach Carter above the formula it clings to.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
01/14/05
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Inimitable, irrepressible and possibly the coolest man alive, Jackson ranks as the best reason to catch this Hoosiers in the 'hood. Happily, he's not the only one.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal | comment Comment
01/14/05
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

One of those highly effective conventional pictures that remind us that conventionality isn't always a bad thing.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
01/14/05
Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com

The appeal lies in the genre's mixed marriage of liberal sensibilities to conservative values, a happy American union that simultaneously acknowledges the fact of social injustice while insisting on the need for individual responsibility.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
01/14/05
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

The basketball footage is often thrilling, the camera whooshing through the action like a darting point guard.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/14/05
Sean Daly
Sean Daly
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Utterly intolerable with its indulgence in inner-city stereotypes, overt preaching and simple antidotes.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/14/05
Tim Cogshell
Tim Cogshell
Boxoffice Magazine

Delivers its commendable message with affecting eloquence.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/14/05
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

No one will be surprised to learn that Jackson's Coach Carter is a shining slab of steel-rod charisma.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
01/14/05
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star

Must decency be dull?

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
01/14/05
Erik Lundegaard
Erik Lundegaard
Seattle Times

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

Nobody gives a more powerful locker room speech than Samuel L. Jackson, while decked out in spiffy suits and flashy neckties.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
01/14/05
Dixie Reid
Dixie Reid
Sacramento Bee

Like an Afterschool Special on steroids.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
01/14/05
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

An earnest inspirational drama that mostly transcends its formulaic trappings.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
01/14/05
Timothy Knight
Timothy Knight
Reel.com

Capable new performers surround Jackson, including young men who play a believable brand of high-flying basketball.

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
01/14/05
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

The movie relies on formula, but it's durable formula.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
01/14/05
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

Jackson plays the coach with wit and authority. His imposing presence ensures that he won't have to take much guff, even from the toughest punk on the team.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
01/14/05
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

You know how the last minute of a basketball game can take, like, 10 minutes to actually expire, what with time-outs and the commercials and all? Coach Carter is a lot like that.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
01/14/05
Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Oregonian

The movie may consist of formulaic elements, but it excels on the strength of its cast and the sincerity of its message.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
01/14/05
Lisa Rose
Lisa Rose
Newark Star-Ledger

The inspirational tale becomes just another by-the-numbers, cliché-ridden sports film.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
01/14/05
Debra Birnbaum
Debra Birnbaum
New York Post
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

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