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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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81 - 100 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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By the time you leave, Jackson will have you believing that his Coach Carter is a true original.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
01/14/05
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News

It's not only a sports movie with the usual big games and important shots, but also a coach movie, with inspiring locker room speeches and difficult moral decisions.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/14/05
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

If not for the commanding presence of Samuel L. Jackson in the title role, this paint-by-numbers sports movie wouldn't have anything going for it.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
01/14/05
Eric Melin
Eric Melin
Kansas City Star

It's an old story, but Coach Carter makes it urgent, insightful and inspirational.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/14/05
Louis B. Hobson
Louis B. Hobson
Jam! Movies

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

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

In this film, basketball is not a metaphor; it's a hard-played game that requires skill, conditioning, intelligence and effective teamwork.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
01/14/05
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press

While there's no denying its positive message, there's also no denying that it offers absolutely nothing fresh or innovative.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/14/05
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News

The film comes to what seems like a logical stopping point -- and then continues for another 30 minutes to a conclusion that only muddles its messages. In the end, what could have been a decent little sports drama is bloated and overlong.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/14/05
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

No arguing with the message: The movie's eager to tell its audience (especially young viewers) that there's life beyond a basketball court, and they ought to prepare for it.

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
01/14/05
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News

Great performance by Samuel Jackson but predictable as a slam dunk.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/14/05
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Clearly there was a publicity hound somewhere inside the coach when he made his lockout a TV spectacle, but the movie avoids any such interesting shadows.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
01/14/05
Michael Booth
Michael Booth
Denver Post

Fairly standard sports-movie fare but well-acted, suitably gritty, lightly comic in the right places and sweet without being saccharine.

Full Review Source: Contra Costa Times | comment Comment
01/14/05
Mary F. Pols
Mary F. Pols
Contra Costa Times

How do you put this message across without it seeming medicinal? Sure, MTV is among the movie's producers, but what 11th grader wants to spend a Friday night being hit with such a blunt instrument?

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
01/14/05
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe

High school basketball is more than a game in this satisfying flick topped by Samuel L. Jackson's easy-to-watch lead performance.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
01/14/05
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix

A cinematic slam-dunk.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
01/14/05
Tyler Hanley
Tyler Hanley
Palo Alto Weekly

The movie would have been even stronger if it had thrown out some of its extraneous characters and complications ... and narrowed its focus. Still, its message comes through.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
01/14/05
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

Thomas Carter ... produces a film that sizzles on the court, but loses heat in the sub-plots and backstory.

Full Review Source: JWR | comment Comment
01/14/05
S. James Wegg
S. James Wegg
JWR

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
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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