Coach Carter

Coach Carter Information

Coach Carter is a 2005 American drama sports film directed by Thomas Carter. It is based on a true story of Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson, who made headlines in 1999 for benching his undefeated high school basketball team due to poor academic results. The story was conceived from a screenplay co-written by John Gatins and Mark Schwahn, who created the TV series One Tree Hill. The film also recycles a handful of plot devices from another television series, The White Shadow, which director Carter also co-starred in. The ensemble cast features Rob Brown, Channing Tatum, Debbi Morgan, and musical entertainer Ashanti.

The film was a co-production between the motion picture studios of MTV Films and Tollin/Robbins Productions. Theatrically and for the home video rental market, it was commercially distributed by Paramount Pictures. Coach Carter explores professional ethics, academics and athletics. On January 11, 2005, the original motion picture soundtrack was released by the Capitol Records music label. The film score was composed and orchestrated by musician Trevor Rabin

Coach Carter premiered in theaters nationwide in the United States on January 14, 2005 grossing $67,264,877 in domestic ticket receipts. The film took in an additional $9,404,929 in business through international release for a combined worldwide total of $76,669,806. Preceding its initial screening in cinemas, the film was generally met with positive critical reviews. With its initial foray into the home video marketplace; the widescreen DVD edition of the film featuring deleted scenes, a music video, and special features among other highlights, was released in the United States on June 21, 2005.

Plot

Coach Ken Carter (Jackson) takes over the head coaching job for the Oilers basketball team at his old high school Richmond, having played on the team himself, earning unbeaten records. Carter quickly learns that the athletes are rude and disrespectful, and are in need of discipline. He hands the players individual contracts, instructing them to attend all of their classes and maintain a respectable grade point average, among other requirements.

Carter also asks the school staff for progress reports on the players' attendance. However, three players including Timo Cruz (Gonzalez) refuse to follow the contract and quit the team. Carter's son Damien (Ri'chard) later decides to join the team, after quitting the private school St. Francis to play for his father.

Teammate Kenyon Stone (Brown) struggles to come to terms with his girlfriend Kyra (Ashanti) being pregnant; unsure if he can juggle basketball and aspire for college. Later, Cruz makes a valiant effort to rejoin the basketball team after watching them perform at a game in an inspiring victory, to which Carter accepts. The team goes on to post an undefeated record eventually winning a seasonal basketball tournament. However, Carter later discovers the progress reports filled out by the faculty reveal some of the students have been skipping classes and floundering academically.

Carter initiates a lockdown on the gym, banning the team from playing until they improve their grades. The act angers the locals, as Carter is criticized by parents and academic personnel alike. The school board eventually confronts Carter, who justifies his actions, explaining he wants to give his team the opportunity and option for further education so they won't resort to crime. The board, aside from Principal Garrison (Dowse) and the chairman, vote to end the lockout, much to Carter's regret.

Carter quits his job, but finds the team studying in the gym, unwilling to play basketball. The athletes decide to fullfill Carter's original intention of pursuing academic achievement before continuing to play their next game. The Oilers eventually end up competing in the regional high school playoffs, but ultimately lose to St. Francis. Nonetheless, Carter is proud that the players accomplished their goal of attaining a proper education with athletics. The film's epilogue displays a series of graphics stating that a number of players went on to attend college furthering their study.

Cast

Samuel L Jackson as Coach Ken Carter
Rob Brown as Kenyon Stone
Robert Ri'chard as Damien Carter
Rick Gonzalez as Timo Cruz
Nana Gbewonyo as Junior Battle
Antwon Tanner as Worm
Channing Tatum as Jason Lyle
Ashanti as Kyra
Texas Battle as Maddux
Denise Dowse as Principal Garrison
Debbi Morgan as Tonya

Production

Filming

Filming locations for the motion picture included, Long Beach, California and Los Angeles.

Soundtrack

See Coach Carter (soundtrack) for more information The original motion picture soundtrack for Coach Carter was released by the Capitol Records label on January 11, 2005. The score for the film was orchestrated by Trevor Rabin. An extensive list of songs is featured on the soundtrack, which differs from the soundtrack recording. The recording includes five songs which were not featured in the film: "About da Game" by Trey Songz; "Balla" by Mack 10 featuring Da Hood; "Beauty Queen" by CzarNok; "What Love Can Do" by Letoya; and "Wouldn't You Like to Ride", by Kanye West, Malik Yusef, and Common.

Release

Home media

Following its cinematic release in theaters, the Region 1 Code widescreen edition of the film was released on DVD in the United States on June 21, 2005. Special features for the DVD include; two commentaries: Coach Carter: The Man Behind the Movie, Fast Break at Richmond High, Deleted Scenes, Music Video: "Hope" by Twista Featuring Faith Evans, Previews and Scene Selection.

A restored widescreen hi-definition Blu-ray Disc version of the film was released on December 16, 2008. Special features include; two commentaries - The Man Behind the Movie; Fast Break at Richmond High; 6 Deleted scenes; "Hope" music video by Twista featuring Faith Evans; Writing Coach Carter: The Two Man Game; Coach Carter: Making the Cut; and the theatrical trailer in HD. An additional viewing option for the film in the media format of Video on demand has been made available as well.

Reception

Critical response

Among mainstream critics in the U.S., the film received generally mixed to positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 65% of 144 sampled critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 6.1 out of 10. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average out of 100 to critics' reviews, Coach Carter received a score of 57 based on 36 reviews.

Box office

Coach Carter premiered in cinemas on January 14, 2005 in wide release throughout the United States. During that weekend, the film opened in 1st place grossing $24,182,961 in business showing at 2,524 locations. The film Meet the Fockers opened in 2nd place during that weekend with $19,316,095 in revenue. The film's revenue dropped by 24% in its second week of release, earning $8,015,331. For that particular weekend, the film slipped to 5th place with a slightly higher theater count at 2,574. The thriller film Hide and Seek opened in 1st place with $21,959,233 in box office business. During its final week in release, Coach Carter opened in 61st place grossing a marginal $26,554 in revenue. For that weekend period, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy starring Martin Freeman opened in 1st place with $21,103,203 in box office receipts. Coach Carter went on to top out domestically at $67,264,877 in total ticket sales through an initial 16-week theatrical run. For 2005 as a whole, the film would cumulatively rank at a box office performance position of 36.

Accolades

The film was nominated and won several awards in 2005"06.

Award	Category	Nominee
2005 BET Awards	Best Actor	Samuel L. Jackson
2005 Black Movie Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Directing	Thomas Carter
	Outstanding Motion Picture	David Gale, Brian Robbins, Michael Tollin
	Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role	Samuel L. Jackson
Black Reel Awards of 2006	Best Director	Thomas Carter
	Best Actor	Samuel L. Jackson
	Best Breakthrough Performance	Ashanti
	Best Film	David Gale, Brian Robbins, Michael Tollin
ESPY Awards 2005	Best Sports Movie	"?"?"?"?
2005 37th NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture	Samuel L. Jackson
	Outstanding Directing in a Feature Film/Television Movie	Thomas Carter
	Outstanding Motion Picture	"?"?"?"?
	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture	Ashanti
2005 MTV Movie Awards	Breakthrough Female	Ashanti
2006 38nd People's Choice Awards	Favorite Movie Drama	"?"?"?"?
2005 Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actor: Drama	Samuel L. Jackson
	Choice Movie Breakout Performance - Female	Ashanti
	Choice Movie: Drama	"?"?"?"?