|
 GLORY
ROAD
by Jane Louise
Boursaw
Rated PG
for racial issues, including violence and epithets, and mild language.
Ok for kids 10 and up.106 min. Directed by James Gartner. Walt Disney
Pictures. Released in theaters Jan. 13, 2006.
Should You Take Your Kids? Based on a true
story, this movie has some good lessons for kids 10 and older, but
younger kids will likely grow restless and won't understand the themes.
It's a basketball movie, but also a history lesson on the racial climate
that existed in our country during the 1960's. Check out the details
in"Bringing the Kids" below.
THE
STORY: The year is 1965, and the town is El Paso, Texas. A
young, white basketball coach named Don Haskins (Josh Lucas) gets his
chance to coach a Division I men's basketball team at Texas Western
College.
But Haskins
faces several obstacles: his coaching experience is limited; Texas
Western has never boasted a winning basketball team; and he's having
trouble recruiting white players a necessity during the 1960's, when
putting blacks on a college basketball team was virtually unheard of.
There was also an unwritten rule that you can play only one black at a
time at home, two on the road, and three if you're losing badly.
But none of
that matters to Haskins, because he's passionate about the game and
driven to succeed. Since the school has no recruiting budget, he puts up
his own money to round up the best black players in the country and
bring them to
El
Paso, a town not known to be racially progressive. In fact, Texas
Western's black students totaled all of 1 percent.
Haskins runs
the team like a drill sergeant, making them "burn holes in their shoes
on the court" and teaching them "fundamental" basketball, rather than
the fancy street ball they've always played. He tells them there will be
no girls, no booze, and no partying, so of course, the first thing they
do is go looking for girls in a bar. Their punishment? More drills. When
one of the blacks fails in school, Haskins brings his "Momma" down to
make sure he stays on course.
Throughout
the season, everyone associated with the team faces obstacles. The
blacks endure physical and emotional abuse, especially during away
games. They're pelted with food and pop as they enter the court, and one
is seriously beaten up in a restaurant bathroom. Haskins, who's moved
his wife and three kids into the dorm because the job pays so little,
receives threatening letters, and the white players have to re-think
some deeply held stereotypes.
But Haskins
never backs down, telling the team, "Never let your anger get the best
of you," and "If you quit now, you quit every day for the rest of your
life," and "Your dignity is inside of you; they're trying to take away
your dignity." He challenges the team to win and shut the naysayers up.
The highlight
of the movie comes when Haskins decides to start all five black players
for the final NCAA championship game against the all-white Wildcats of
the University of Kentucky. This move not only helps to change the
history of basketball, but also the history of our country.
 THE
WRAP-UP: This movie was awarded the Truly Moving Picture at the
Heartland Film Festival, and it's easy to see why. It's not only one of
the greatest basketball stories of all time, it's also a story of
endurance, courage, and breaking down unspoken barriers. The story rings
so true that sometimes you feel like you're watching a documentary,
rather than actors playing roles. Josh Lucas is reminiscent of a young
Kevin Costner, only more intense. My only complaint is that there may
have been one too many slow-motion shots of him courtside, but I'll
easily overlook this.
Everything
about this movie screams 1960s, from the Motown soundtrack to the
sepia-toned cinematography that brings a sleepy Texas town to life and
catches every drop of sweat. This is a feel-good movie that makes you
see how one person really can make a difference, not only in the lives
of others, but also in the history of our country.
Standout
performances were given by all the actors, including Derek Luke, Austin
Nichols, Mehcad Brooks, Alphonso McAuley, Damaine Radcliff, Al Shearer,
Sam Jones III, Schin A. S. Kerr, Kip Weeks, Mitch Eakins, Alejandro
Hernandez, Evan Jones, James Olivard, and Emily Deschanel as Haskins'
wife. Jon Voight plays Adolph Rupp, the legendary coach of the
University of Kentucky Wildcats.
NOTE:
Be sure to stay through the credits and see interviews with the "real"
players including Pat Riley, who played on the University of Kentucky
team.
BRINGING
THE KIDS:
PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5): Little ones will be bored with the
basketball theme and won't understand the racial importance of this
movie. Best to pop in a more appropriate DVD, like Get Active With
Stinky Shoe and Coach LaRoo, a fun movie that'll get your little
couch potatoes moving.
GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6-10): There's a whole lotta basketball in
this movie, so if your kids are into the game, they'll probably love it.
It also teaches kids to follow their passion and not back down in the
face of adversity. The PG rating covers some intense basketball scenes
and racially-charged moments: one team member is beat up by whites in a
restaurant bathroom, their hotel room is ransacked and "Go Home, Nigger"
written in blood on the walls, and they're pelted with things while
entering a stadium. It's the kind of true-to-life humiliation that
blacks experienced at the time, not always found in the history books.
TWEEN /
TEEN (ages 11+): This movie should be required viewing for every
high school sociology class. It's a great history lesson about the
challenges faced by blacks and the people who befriended and encouraged
them. It also shows how one passionate person really can make a
difference.
SCORE: 4 out
of 4 Reels.
Jane's Reel Rating
System:
One Reel Pathetic.
Even The Force cant save it.
Two Reels
Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.
Three Reels
Thought-provoking. Something to talk about.
Four Reels Wow! The
stuff dreams are made of.
E-chat with me
at
jane@reellifewithjane.com - I
LOVE to talk about movies!
 Read my other reviews
here.
|
