Coach Carter

Samuel L. Jackson's powerhouse performance makes this otherwise conventional sports drama, derived from the made-for-the-movies story of self-made businessman Ken Carter, who bootstrapped himself out of poverty, then returned to his tough, impoverished high school to coach the basketball team. The Richmond Oilers are less a team than a pack of surly, selfish teen wolves looking to siphon off a little of the reflected glory accorded to serious players. Aging Coach White (Mel Winkler) can do nothing with the fighting, cursing, undisciplined and utterly disrespectful crew, who play every game as though it were a brawl waiting to happen. White appeals to Carter, whose su...