I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Coach Carter (2005) appears to be one of Samuel L. Jackson's more overlooked leading roles. This is a film with a firm message which is to take responsibility for yourself and your actions. It's a good message and it's delivered by a solid cast. The main subject is about basketball, but at a run time of over 2 hours, this film dwells into deeper subjects regarding the students of the team. Here we see Sam Jackson star in the titular role as a sporting goods store owner who accepts a job as high school basketball coach at the school where he still holds several basketball records. This film is based on a true story where we are understood that Jackson is portraying a real life figure. The team at the school is filled with raw talent, but no discipline. Carter begins his reign as coach by requiring all of the boys on the team to sign a contract stating that they will maintain a 2.3 GPA, that they will sit in the front row of every class, and that they must wear a coat and tie to school on game days. In return, he promises to guide them to a winning season. After much grumbling, the boys fall in line and begin to accept the Coach, especially after his training methods soon put them on an undefeated winning streak.One thing which is quite hard to grasp at is how quickly Coach Carter was able to turn the team around. It is mentioned early in the film that they were a terrible team the previous year (winning 4 games, with 22 losses), and once Carter comes along, he is instantly able to turn them into a great team (mentioned as winning 16 straight at one point in the film). The challenge seemed quite easier than it should have, where we did not see much struggle. Though in the end, is where the film takes a turn and since it is based on a true story, not everything is a happy ending. The team unfortunately lose their championship game by a very close game. Had this been a fiction film, that most likely would not have happened. Overall, this film is quite interesting though outdated with many of the references and the overall outlook of the film. A great entertaining watch for fans of sports dramas.

Samuel L. Jackson was in top form as the new high school basketball coach who had the foresight to see beyond the arena and strive for academic achievement among his difficult group within a very difficult school.Jackson takes over the team and immediately instills discipline and a contract advocating academic attainment before basketball may be played. When the team members fail to live up to their bargain academically, Carter cancels practice and allows his winning team to begin forfeiting games.Naturally, this meets with community opposition. Loud mouth parent Octavia Spencer is wonderful here as a mother who sees only basketball as an opportunity for her son to grow.The point is driven home as the team comes around to Carter's standards.Excellent film getting away from the notion about students attaining academic scholarships in sports when they are so deficient in academic areas.

Coach Carter is based on a true story of Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter (Samuel L Jackson) who made headlines in 1999 for benching his high school basketball team due to poor academic results. The film is not really about basketball, it is just a backdrop.It is more about Ken Carter who becomes head coach of his old high school, where the players are rude, disrespectful and ill disciplined. He makes them each sign a personal contract regarding training, discipline, attendance and school grades. Although a disciplinarian the team has an unbeaten run and turns around the lives of their players even though some in the school and many of the parents are unhappy with his methods.I suppose I would be loathed to have Ken Carter as my coach but in this movie with its assortment of High school misfits straight out of ghetto casting, it works. Samuel L Jackson has enough charisma and likability for you to invest in his character. The film is enjoyable enough, the music blends well with the urban drama and there are a few future stars in early roles in this film.

"Coach Carter" is a heart-warming story that is based on actual events, but what stands out from the other true story movies is that it refrains itself from any kind of "artistic licencing" from being a Hollywood movie. And that is simply because it really doesn't need to. The inspirational story of Coach Ken Carter and the Richmond Oilers is molded as an uplifting to one's spirits and it tells us that there really is a ray of hope and that we can achievement if we all believe in ourselves.Sure it sounds lame and preachy, but the movie is constantly fixated on telling us that academics must come before athletics. The main focus is centred around Coach Carter and the gripping sports scenes is enough to satisfy any sports fan especially those who love basketball.Samuel L. Jackson is flawless as the no-nonsense Coach Carter and he does without putting much effort into the role but the dedication to his coaching and his encouragement towards his team is just the natural way to prove how developed this character really is. The performance and the accuracy is so impressive you wouldn't think it was Samuel L. Jackson performing, but the real Coach Carter himself. But he's not the only thespian who melted our heart, but the performers who played the students; in fact they are the heart and soul to the movie as they keep this movie as real and effective as possible. Even singer Ashanti shows her acting chops are quite effective and not flashy at all.Unlike most movies who cowardly take the easy way out by just rushing through the ending and going for the formulaic happy ending, "Coach Carter" ends the movie with a real ending where these athletes are not destined to just winning the school's championship but where their academic achievements became a top priority to them. I wish that Hollywood would have more stories on values like these than the garbage we've been fed to over the years.The extras on the DVD are quite special as we are introduced to the real Ken Carter who seems to come across as being more but amusingly laid back and less intense than Jackson's portrayal. But i'm sure the real Ken Carter must have left a lasting impact toward the students and the kids as Richmond High. I just wish the documentary on Ken Carter was more in depth a much more longer and I wished we can get more insight on the students and compare the similarities between the actual students and the characters that were portrayed in the movie.The second feature looks into the making behind the movie itself as we observe just how the choreographing and the skill the characters had to go through to make and maintain the realism of the movie. The actual sports scenes are such a joy to watch it sends shivers down my spine. It might be mundane in some people because not everyone has knowledge in all the technical terms that's in basketball so if you're watching the movie for the drama and inspiration, please bring along a manual called "Basketball for Dummies". One of the weaknesses the movie has is that in the extras we don't get the opportunity focus on the mastermind behind the movie, director Thomas Carter. I don't know if he's just a humble individual or if he played a dominating role in the production, but he's never mentioned or talked about in the extras. I also wonder if the director is related to the titular character of the movie.To summarize this movie is quite pleasing and very optimistic in it message. It was a very entertaining and never falls prey to continuously preach that academics is equally important if not better than athletics. I think those who come from working-class environments to get a better view to show that there is always a sign of hope. The statistics that Ken Carter reveals to his students that young African American men are more than likely will end up in jail than advanced education is quite staggering. And this should open the eyes to not just black Americans but to everyone that prison life is not the life you want to live in. It's also important that just because you are playing basketball in school, doesn't mean it's a one-way ticket to the NBA. But a good education is the key to life and after watching this movie, I'm sure it will open eyes to everyone who really cares about their education.