Synopsis
This film is more about life rather than basketball. It is a story about a basketball coach, named Ken Carter who accepted the job to coach a group of young boys in a basketball team in Richmond High school. However these boys were totally not disciplined. The worst thing was that they did not even RESPECT him. So, Coach Carter decided to implement some plans to discipline all these wild boys. First, he required them to greet each other as sir because they needed to respect the others first before they could earn respect from them. Second, he applied strict rules in the basketball court. Team members who were late for training would be punished not less than 200 push-ups and “suicide”. If you dare to argue more, the figure will continue to increase, so “you better shut up, or else push-up” ^^
Other than that, Coach Carter also signed contracts with the team members of Richmond Oilers in which required them to get good results (2.3 point average) if they wanted to continue to play in the matches. In the contract, he also required the team members to wear formal dress to class and sit in front in class. Oh, for the team members, this was really INSANE. ^^
However after hard training, the “loser” team last season, Richmond Oiler emerged as an undefeatable team this season. However, when Coach Carter realised that some of the team members did not do well in their studies, he decided to padlock the gymnasium and prohibited the team to take part in any matches. On the other hand, he sent the boys into study hall until they could get good result before they could continue to play in the state competition. Coach Carter’s action drew the attention of the public and mass media. Many of them criticised his action and stood together to force him to resign. However, at the end, all the players were passed and allowed to play again in the state competition!
“Richmond, Richmond, Richmond, Richmond....” All the crowd in the gymnasium was so excited shouting the name of Richmond High School when the team was playing a match against St.Francis at the end of the film. However, Richmond Oilers lost finally. For Coach Carter, although his team had lost in the match, his players were still the winners, the winners in their lives. HE CAME TO TEACH BOYS, AND THEY BECAME MEN; HE CAME TO COACH BASKETBALL PLAYERS, AND THEY BECAME STUDENTS.
Characters
In 1999, Ken Carter, a successful sporting goods store owner, accepts the job of basketball coach for his old high school in a poor area of Richmond, CA, where he was a champion athlete. As much dismayed by the poor attitudes of his players as well as their dismal play performance, Carter sets about to change both. Coach Carter is not a selfish man. He knows his job as a basketball coach is only to coach the team to win basketball matches but he is still concerned about his players’ academic results. It is because he doesn’t want his players to end up like his old basketball teammates during his school time. He experiences and knows that so he doesn’t want his players to repeat the history. He is a real man who we all should respect and salute.
Coach Carter also has a strong determination. When all the lecturers refuse to cooperate with him to give him the reviews of his players’ results, he does not give up easily. He then goes to their class to view their learning progress by himself. Another example is that when all the public, mass media and parents criticise him and force him to resign, he still insists to lock the boys out of the gym unless they reach the GPA of 2.3.
Damien Carter - Robert Ri'chard, Kenyon Stone - Rob Brown, Kyra - Ashanti, Tonya - Debbi Morgan, Timo Cruz - Rick Gonzalez, Worm - Antwon Tanner, Junior Battle - Nana Gbewonyo, Jason Lyle - Channing Tatum, Maddux - Texas Battle.
These are the team members of Richmond Oilers. At first, although they are in a team, they are not playing as a team. They are not disciplined, not co-operative, bad-tempered and rude. When Coach Carter comes for the first time, they do not even respect him. They even say bad words like, “nigger”, “dog” in front of him. Coach Carter then asks them to greet each other as sir and implements strict rules to discipline the boys. In order to improve their studies, Coach Carter even padlocks the gym and pauses all the games. Though the boys really want to play the games, they understand what their coach is doing now is for their own good. So, they even move chairs and tables into the gym and study there when the gym is forced to open. When Coach Carter comes to them in the gym, Timo Cruz finally answers the question Coach Carter has asked him so many times, “what is your deepest fear, young man?”:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
At the end of the movie, although they lose in the state basketball competition, they manage to get into college and lead better lives.
Reviews
Coach Carter understands the passion of his players towards basketball. However, he wants their players to understand to make their dream realised, they must at least get some qualifications in their studies. You are undefeatable in your high school basketball team, but so what? If you can’t even graduate from your high school, you can’t continue to play basketball in college or NBA. The worst thing according to Coach Carter’s experience, most of his teammates last time now end up in jail and some even are killed. Are these all you want? So, young men and young women think about it.
There is something else on which I would like to comment is the attitude of the parents. They do not know what is wrong and what is right for their children. It is true that your children may be gifted in basketball but as parents they should also look at the other aspects of their children. They should advise their children to manage their time wisely in order to excel in both studies and sport. If the children are really not that good in studies, in spite of passing the examinations with flying colours, parents should require them at least to graduate from high school successfully but not just give up the studies and focus only on sport.
The other issue in this film is the drug-dealing activities. As in the film, the character, Timo Cruz is helping his cousin to deliver the drugs and earns money by doing that. He even owns a gun. However, Timo Cruz does not really like being himself in that way. Every time, in the street, he really wishes that he can join the other basketball teammates together, but he can’t because he needs to follow his cousin to deliver the drugs. He is lonely. At the end, when his cousin is killed, he is so frightened and finally makes the decision to get away from drugs. Coach Carter of course welcomes him back to the team. What I am trying to say here is that society should give chances to those, especially the young one, who make mistakes in the past to start over new lives. Lend them a helping hand as many of them are struggling to get themselves free just like Timo Cruz. If we do not help them, who else can?
Foul mouth is another issue that draws my attention. Most of the team members in Richmond Oilers are foul-mouthed. They like to scold bad words like “nigger”, “dog” etc. As a result, they easily offend many people and get involved in fights. They are really lucky because they are not killed. Many of them who are not as lucky as them are killed just because of offensive language. One of the examples is the brother of Junior Battle in the film. Furthermore, people who are foul-mouthed are usually not respected. If you want to earn people’s respect, please respect the others first by practising good manners and language.
