Coach Carter - 2005

 A nice film, I liked it. There’s a lot of basketball, of course, but it’s not all there is. The story is good, the characters ok, Jackson is really good. Not bad.

Plot in details:  

Carter gets offered the underpaid job to coach the Richmond team, but those boys are totally undisciplined, barely show up for school or practice and keep fighting with each other. 

He accepts even if his son goes to another school. The kid is not happy about it and changes school against his dad’s wishes (because the other was a better, more respectable school).

The first day, Timo shows disrespect and Carter throws him out. Two others follow him, but the rest stays and does as Carter says.

The first game they have, they win. 

Timo talks tough but he misses it so he goes back, and starts all the lines and pushups Carter gives him. In the time given, he does a lot of them, but still owes Carter 500 pushups and 80 suicides (why in the world are they called this? They run from here to there, touch the line, come back… very tiring, sure, but…).

Carter tells him to leave because he didn’t finish, but Lyle offers to help and then all the others. So he’s in too. They practice, play games, even win a trophy. They’re all happy but they’re also failing their classes. Carter locks up the gym and cancels a game, so they lose it. The kids and everyone in tome are upset, but Carter thinks of their future. So few of Richmond kids every year graduate and go to college, he wants better for them. 

Dumb people in Richmond don’t get that, and are all angry at him. Probably because they’re part of those uneducated… but one night Timo Cruz’s cousin is shot on the street (because they don’t all go to prison like Carter said, some get shot instead).

The lockout is voted against, and Carter prepares to leave, but the kids continue studying and put desks in the gym. They do improve, enough to play again.

Kenyon “Kenny” and Kyra are expecting a child and it’s a long struggle with the pressure and responsibility, and in the end she aborted. But Kenyon got a scholarship to go to college, and she’ll go with him.

Their team makes it to the state tournament. They lose their first game, (and last one of the movie) but they grew up a lot, and Carter is proud of them, as is their school.

It ends saying that lots of them went to college and got a better life for themselves.

Coach Ken Carter - Samuel L. Jackson

Kenyon - Rob Brown

Damien Carter - Robert Ri’chard

Timo Cruz - Rick Gonzales

Junior Battle - Nana Gbewonyo

Worm - Antwon Tanner

Lyle - Channing Tatum

Kyra - Ashanti

Principal Garrison - Denise Dowse

Mrs Battle - Octavia Spencer

P.s. the credits say 2004, Netflix says 2005.