There were jokes running around the Academy Awards ceremonies this year about actor Jude Law being in every movie ever made. This, of course is an exaggeration. We all know that the only actor that has been in every movie ever made is… Samuel L. Jackson. Alright… I realize that is an exaggeration, too. But, there have been years where it certainly felt like Jackson was in every movie. As a matter of fact, if Samuel L. Jackson wasn’t in a movie I was watching… well… it just seemed incomplete. Be that as it may, I never complain when Jackson graces the cast of any film, and not because he’s such an all-out dynamic actor, but because he has the ability to make any film, no matter how bad… worth watching. (The one exception being the new “Star Wars” Trilogy. Only George Lucas’ direction could turn Jackson into a piece of wood….) Recently I caught Jackson in the title role of “Coach Carter”, where he plays a real life former All-American who returns to his old high school.

There, he takes over the coaching duties for the school’s basketball team, mostly made up of street players and thugs. His goal is to take these loose cannons and turn them into a winning team, and more importantly individual winners. Because of his methods, Carter soon finds himself not only up against the players, but the parents, the community at large and the entire school system.

As you might guess, “Coach Carter” is definitely one of those formulaic films where the coach has to earn the respect of his charges, and through that respect make each player a better person. All the stereotypes are present and accounted for, and the films pretty much heads in the direction you would expect.

However, this is in no way meant to downplay the power of the film. Sure, you’ve seen it all before, but Jackson’s performance elevates formula into excellence. Just by the power of his presence, what might be a mediocre film is utterly and completely watchable. Yeah, you know where it’s going, but the ride getting there is pure entertainment.

The new DVD from Paramount are releasing the DVD of “Coach Carter” this week, and they have included a couple of great extra features, including a short documentary about the real-life Ken Carter, where we also see some of the actual team members interact with the actors. There is also another featurette that focuses on how the action sequences within the games are filmed. These scenes are usually the highlight of films like this, and its amazing to see how much work goes into making them look ‘right.’ You’ll also find some deleted scenes and a music video of the song “Hope” by Twista and featuring Hatih Evans.

Formulaic or not, the fact that “Coach Carter” is based on a real person goes a long way to selling this movie on me. I wish more people would take the time to elevate the kids around them by being the types of role models they need to be around.

Directed by: Thomas Carter
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Ashanti
Extras: 2 Featurettes – “Coach Carter: The Man Behind the Movie” and “Fast Break at Richmond High”, 6 Deleted Scenes, “Hope” Music Video by Twista Featuring Faith Evans
Specifications: Widescreen Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 2.0
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 6/21/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For Violence, Sexual Content, Language, Teen Partying and Some Drug Material)
Website

We'll give Coach Carter a B.