Coach Carter

Coach Carter is a 2005 American biographical teen sports

Coach Carter
drama film starring Samuel L. Jackson and directed by Thomas
Carter. The film is based on the true story of Richmond High
School basketball coach Ken Carter (played by Samuel L.
Jackson), who made headlines in 1999 for suspending his
undefeated high school basketball team due to poor academic
results.[2][3][4] 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.[5] The
Theatrical release poster
sports action in the film was coordinated by the production
company ReelSports. On January 11, 2005, the original motion Directed by Thomas Carter
picture soundtrack was released by the Capitol Records music Produced by David Gale
label. The film score was composed and orchestrated by Brian Robbins
musician Trevor Rabin. Michael Tollin
Written by Mark Schwahn
Coach Carter premiered in theaters nationwide in the United
John Gatins
States on January 14, 2005 grossing $67,264,877 in domestic
ticket receipts. The film took in an additional $9,404,929 in Starring Samuel L.
business through international release for a combined worldwide Jackson
total of $76,669,806. Preceding its initial screening in cinemas, Ashanti
the film was generally met with positive critical reviews. With Music by Trevor Rabin
its initial foray into the home video marketplace; the DVD Cinematography Sharone Meir
edition of the film featuring deleted scenes, a music video, and
Edited by Peter Berger
special features among other highlights, was released in the
United States on June 21, 2005. Production MTV Films
company Tollin/Robbins
Productions
Distributed by Paramount
Contents Pictures
Plot Release date January 14, 2005
Cast Running time 136 minutes
Production Country United States
 Soundtrack Language English
Release Budget $30 million[1]
Response Box office $76.7 million[1]
Critical reception
Box office
Accolades
See also
References
External links

Plot
Ken Carter takes over the head coaching job for the basketball team at Richmond High School, having
played on the team himself. Carter quickly sees that the athletes are rude, disrespectful, and in need of
discipline. He hands the players individual contracts, instructing them to attend all of their classes, sit in
the front row of those classes, wear dress shirts and ties on game days, refer to everyone (players and
coach alike) as "sir", and maintain a 2.3 (C+) grade point average, among other requirements. Carter also
asks the school staff for progress reports on the players' grades and attendance. He teaches them how to
play a disciplined brand of basketball.

In the gym, Carter is faced with hostility from the players and one of them, Timo Cruz, attempts to punch
Carter but is quickly subdued. Cruz then quits the team in anger, along with the previous season's top two
scorers. Carter warns the team that, if they are late for practice, then they will run suicides (a type of
sprint touching the court's lines), and, if they act disrespectfully towards him, then they will do push-ups.
He then orders them to do a series of suicides for one hour and seven minutes to improve their
conditioning. Later, Carter's son, Damien, decides to join the team, after quitting the private school St.
Francis. Shocked, Carter asks why he has done this, and Damien tells him that he wants to play for his
father. Carter reluctantly agrees but holds his son to a higher set of standards than the rest of the team.

Kenyon Stone, the level headed captain of the team and the best player, struggles to come to terms with
his girlfriend, Kyra, who is pregnant, unsure if he can juggle basketball and prepare for college as well as
be a parent. In their opener against Hercules, Cruz watches the team win and then asks Carter what he
has to do to get back on to the team. Carter agrees but on one condition: he needs to do 2,500 push-ups
and 1,000 suicides before Friday. Carter warns Cruz that it is impossible to complete all of the push ups
and suicides by Friday.

When the day arrives, Cruz is still short by 500 push-ups and 80 suicides. However, other players
volunteer to do push-ups and suicides for him, saying they are a team and their individual failures and
triumphs count together, thereby getting Cruz back on the team. On a game day, Carter asks Cruz what
his biggest fear is, but Cruz is confused by the question. Later, the team won the game. Carter learns that
one particular student does not attend classes: Junior Battle. Later in practice, Carter talks to Battle, who
does not seem to be worried about it, so Carter suspends him for games. After a confrontation, Battle
leaves the team in anger. Afterwards, Battle's mother asks Carter to let him back on the team. Carter says
that he needs to hear that from Battle himself. Battle apologizes for what he has done and is allowed back
on the team, but must do 1,000 push-ups and 1,000 suicides to make up for it.
At the winter dance, Stone fights with Kyra about the baby. He tells her that he wants more for his life
than what he sees in their neighborhood and urges her to think realistically about the difficulties of
parenting. Kyra angrily tells Stone that she is having the baby with or without his support.

The team goes on to have an undefeated record, eventually winning the Bay Hill Holiday tournament.
Following their victory, the team sneaks off to a party hosted at a local girl's house, without the
knowledge of her parents. Carter discovers the players missing and tracks them down at the party, where
he orders them to leave. In the bus going home, Carter berates his team for their reckless behavior,
warning them to expect a grueling practice on Monday as punishment. The team is untroubled by his
anger and Cruz point out they won the tournament and already gave Carter what he wanted: winners.

Back at school, Carter discovers that the progress reports show that some of the students have been
skipping classes and failing academically. A livid Carter locks the gym, and sends his players to the
library to study with their teachers. This upsets the players, especially Cruz, who quits the team again,
stating that he already worked hard enough to be on the team. Without basketball, Cruz returns to dealing
drugs with his cousin.

Although Carter's commitment to academics is praised in the national media, Carter is criticized by
parents and academic personnel alike for his decision to lock down the gym. One night, someone throws
a brick through Carter's store window for not letting the team play. The next day, a man pulls up next to
Carter's car at a stoplight then proceeds to spit on his window and taunt him for his decision to lock down
the gym. Carter becomes enraged and tries to retaliate, but Damien breaks up the fight. Later that
evening, while Cruz is hanging out with his drug dealer cousin, Renny, he saves three of his teammates
from being harassed by some gangsters. Renny's drug deal goes wrong, and he is shot dead, leaving Cruz
distraught. Cruz goes to the Carters' house and begs to be allowed back on the team. Carter comforts him
and allows it.

The school board eventually confronts Carter, who explains how he wants to give his team the
opportunity and option for further education so that they will not turn to crime, asserting that achieving a
sound education is more important for the students than winning basketball games. A man suggests that
Carter should be removed from the basketball coach position. Carter promises that he will quit if the
lockout is ended. Principal Garrison and the chairman vote to not end the lockout but are outvoted by the
other board members. The next day, Carter arrives with moving boxes with the intent of cleaning out his
office, but he is shocked to find his players in the gym with desks and papers, studying to bring their
grades back up. The athletes decide to fulfill Carter's original intention of them pursuing academic
success before continuing to play their next game. Cruz answers Carter's question about fear and thanks
him for saving his life. Carter decides to stay. The players work hard and eventually raise their grade
point averages to a fulfill their contracts. Later, Stone talks to Kyra about the baby and tells her that he
has a plan so she and the baby can go to college with him. She reveals that she had an abortion by her
own choice and tells Kenyon that he should focus on playing college basketball. He asks Kyra to come
with him to college, with or without the baby, and she agrees.

The Oilers eventually end up competing in the state CIF high school playoffs but lose to St. Francis by
just 2 points after a game winning shot by opposing star player Ty Crane. Ty pulls Battle aside to
compliment him, after originally mocking him before in a previous game. Nevertheless, Carter is proud
of his players accomplishing their goals of having a proper education. The film's epilogue displays a
series of graphics stating that a number of Carter's players went on to attend college and play basketball,
such as Kenyon, Lyle, Junior, "Worm", Cruz, and Damien.
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 Jaron "Worm" Willis
Channing Tatum as Jason Lyle
Ashanti as Kyra
Matt Jaworski as Colin Girod
Texas Battle as Maddux
Adrienne Eliza Bailon as Dominique
Dana Davis as Peyton Actor Samuel L. Jackson
Octavia Spencer as Mrs. Willa Battle who portrayed real-life
basketball coach Ken Carter.
Denise Dowse as Principal Garrison
Tadhg Deevy as Polish Snake Tamer
Debbi Morgan as Tonya
Roberto Luis Santana as Kennedy Coach
Chauntal Lewis as St. Francis Cheerleader
Massiel Sanchez as Daryl's Girlfriend
Robert Hoffman as Dancer

Production
Filming locations for the motion picture included, Long Beach, California and Los Angeles.[6]

Soundtrack
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 are
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.

Coach Carter: Music from the Motion Picture

No. Title Length
1. "All Night Long" 3:33
2. "No Need for Conversation" 3:38
3. "Professional" 3:36
4. "Southside" 4:13
5. "Roll Wit' You" 3:23
6. "Wouldn't You Like to Ride" 3:51
7. "Hope" 4:12
8. "Your Love (Is The Greatest Drug I've Ever Known)" 3:34
9. "This One" 3:06
 10. "Beauty Queen" 3:44
11. "Balla" 4:07
12. "Time" 4:52
13. "What Love Can Do" 4:04
14. "About Da Game" 3:39
15. "Let the Drummer Kick"
Total length: 53:23

Release
Following its cinematic release in theaters, the Region 1 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 and Music Video "Hope" by
Twista Featuring Faith Evans.[7] The film was also released on VHS.

A restored widescreen high-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.[8] An additional viewing
option for the film in the media format of Video on demand has been made available as well.[9]

Response

Critical reception
Coach Carter received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an
approval rating of 64% based on 148 reviews, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The site's critical
consensus reads, "Even though it's based on a true story, Coach Carter is pretty formulaic stuff, but it's
effective and energetic, thanks to a strong central performance from Samuel L. Jackson."[10] On
Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average, the film has a score of 57 out of 100, based on 36 critics,
indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average
grade of "A" on a scale of A+ to F.[12]

Box office
Coach Carter premiered in cinemas on January 14, 2005 in wide release throughout the United States.[1]
During that weekend, the film opened in 1st place grossing $24.2 million from 2,524 locations, beating
out Meet the Fockers ($19.3 million).[13] 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.[14] 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.[15] Coach Carter went on to
top out domestically at $67,264,877 in total ticket sales through an initial 16-week theatrical run.[1] For
2005 as a whole, the film would cumulatively rank at a box office performance position of 36.[16]

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

Award Category Nominee Result

2005 BET Awards[17] Best Actor Samuel L. Jackson Nominated

Outstanding Achievement in Directing Thomas Carter Won

2005 Black Movie David Gale, Brian Robbins,

Outstanding Motion Picture Nominated
Michael Tollin
Awards[18]
Outstanding Performance by an Actor
Samuel L. Jackson Nominated
in a Leading Role
Best Director Thomas Carter Won
Best Actor Samuel L. Jackson Nominated
Black Reel Awards of
2006[19] Best Breakthrough Performance Ashanti Nominated
David Gale, Brian Robbins,
Best Film Nominated
Michael Tollin

ESPY Awards 2005[20] Best Sports Movie ———— Nominated

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Samuel L. Jackson Won

Outstanding Directing in a Feature
Thomas Carter Nominated
2005 37th NAACP Image Film/Television Movie
Awards[21] Outstanding Motion Picture ———— Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a
Ashanti Nominated
Motion Picture
2005 MTV Movie
Breakthrough Female Ashanti Nominated
Awards[22]
2006 38th People's
Favorite Movie Drama ———— Nominated
Choice Awards[23]
Choice Movie Actor: Drama Samuel L. Jackson Nominated
2005 Teen Choice Choice Movie Breakout Performance -
Ashanti Nominated
Awards[24] Female
Choice Movie: Drama ———— Nominated

See also
2005 in film
Ken Carter
Richmond High School

References
Footnotes

1. "Coach Carter (2012)" (http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=coachcarter.htm). Box Office

Mojo. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
2. Turner, Miki (January 19, 2005). "The real Coach Carter is a class act" (http://sports.espn.g
o.com/espn/page3/story?page=turner/kencarter). ESPN.com. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
 3. "Coach scores points for academics" (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1999/
01/08/NEWS7082.dtl). San Francisco Chronicle. SFGate.com. January 8, 1999. Retrieved
April 6, 2012.
4. McManis, Sam (January 12, 1999). "Richmond Rebound" (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/arti
cle.cgi?f=/c/a/1999/01/12/MN47218.DTL). San Francisco Chronicle. SFGate.com. Retrieved
April 6, 2012.
5. Thomas Carter. (2005). Coach Carter [Motion picture] Production Notes. United States:
Paramount Pictures.
6. "Coach Carter Production Details" (https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/coach-carter/productio
n-details.html). Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
7. "Coach Carter DVD Widescreen" (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dvd-coach-carter-sam
uel-l-jackson/8566662?ean=97363412649). Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
8. "Coach Carter Blu-Ray" (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dvd-coach-carter-samuel-l-jack
son/8566662?ean=97361399348). Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
9. "Coach Carter VOD Format" (https://www.amazon.com/Coach-Carter/dp/B0056JJ1M8/ref=s
r_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359929505&sr=8-1&keywords=coach+carter). Amazon.com.
Retrieved 2013-02-03.
10. Coach Carter (2005) (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/coach_carter/). Rotten Tomatoes.
IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
11. Coach Carter (http://www.metacritic.com/movie/coach-carter). Metacritic. CNET Networks.
Retrieved 2013-02-03.
12. "Coach Carter" (https://m.cinemascore.com). CinemaScore. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
13. "January 14-16, 2005 Weekend" (http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2005&wknd=
02&p=.htm). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
14. "January 28-30, 2005 Weekend" (http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2005&wknd=
04&p=.htm). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
15. "April 29-May 1, 2005 Weekend" (http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2005
&wknd=17&p=.htm). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
16. 2005 DOMESTIC GROSSES (http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2005&p=.htm).
Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
17. "BET Awards 2005" (http://www.bet.com/shows/bet-awards/2012/my-bet-awards/bet-award
s-2005.html). BET.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
18. "2005 Nominees and Winners" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120805041313/http://www.bl
ackmovieawards.com/index.php?p=2005-nominees-and-winners). Black Movie Awards.
Archived from the original (http://blackmovieawards.com/index.php?p=2005-nominees-and-
winners) on 2012-08-05. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
19. "Black Reel Awards winners" (http://blackreelawards.wordpress.com/winners/). Black Reel
Awards. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
20. "The 2005 Espy Awards Nominees"
(http://espn.go.com/espy2005/s/05nomineesindex.html). ESPN. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
21. "37th Image Awards Nominees" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120204181431/http://www.n
aacpimageawards.net/37thImageAwards/nominees.html). NAACP Image Awards. Archived
from the original (http://www.naacpimageawards.net/37thImageAwards/nominees.html) on
2012-02-04. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
22. "MTV Movie Awards 2005" (http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2005/). MTV.com.
Retrieved 2013-02-03.
23. "People's Choice Awards 2006 Nominees" (http://www.peopleschoice.com/pca/awards/nomi
nees/index.jsp?year=2006). People's Choice Awards. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
24. "The 2005 Teen Choice Awards nominees" (http://www.tv.com/news/the-2005-teen-choice-a
wards-nominees-538/). TV.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
Further reading

Carter, Ken (2012). Yes Ma'am, No Sir: The 12 Essential Steps for Success in Life (https://a
rchive.org/details/yesmaamnosir12es0000cart). Business Plus. ISBN 978-1-455-50234-9.
Niemiec, Ryan (2008). Positive Psychology At The Movies: Using Films to Build Virtues and
Character Strengths. Hogrefe Publishing. ISBN 978-0-889-37352-5.
Johnson, Rick (2009). The Power of a Man: Using Your Influence as a Man of Character.
Revell. ISBN 978-0-800-73249-3.

External links
Official website (http://www.paramount.com/movies/coach-carter)
Coach Carter's official website (https://web.archive.org/web/20010111012900/http://www.co
achcarter.com/)
Coach Carter (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0393162/) on IMDb
Coach Carter (https://www.allmovie.com/movie/v304499) at AllMovie
Coach Carter (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/coach_carter) at Rotten Tomatoes
Coach Carter (https://www.metacritic.com/movie/coach-carter) at Metacritic
Coach Carter (https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=coachcarter.htm) at Box Office
Mojo

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