Coach Carter MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +3 1/2 Content: -2

Coach Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) based on California high-school basketball coach Ken Carter in the late 90s takes an undisciplined inner-city team and turns them into an undefeated team. Carter was a successful basketball player in his day and now makes a good living with his own athletic store. Wanting to make a difference at his old school, he accepts an offer to be the head coach of the Richmond Oilers. When he arrives, he finds the team in disarray but quickly brings order to the chaos with some strict rules. He makes each of the players sign a contract stating that if they are to play they must maintain a 2.3 GPA. They must also wear a coat and tie to class on the day of a game and sit in the front of their class. When reports come in that most of the team is either failing or has incompletes, the coach locks the gym and cancels games, causing an uproar in the community.

This film one of the most inspiring to come out in years delivers a wonderful story with an equally good message. For the first time, many of these kids experience someone who cares enough to lay down boundaries and show real consequences when they exceed them. The punishment seems extreme at first, but the coach soon turns these boys into men as they learn discipline, relational skills and teamwork. And he doesnt stop at molding good basketball players; he deals with poor sportsmanship, sorry attitudes and unacceptable schoolwork as he prepares them for college and life beyond high school. The coach treats each team member with respect and expects them to treat him and others with respect, always using the word sir. As would be expected in an inner-city setting, the film has its rough aspects including brief violence, mild sexuality and frequent, bad language, which prevents Preview from giving it a wholehearted recommendation.

Preview Reviewer: Alan Boyer
Distributor: Paramount Pictures