(When one player objects, “I’m not a ‘sir,’” Carter shoots back, “Are you a ‘madam’?”) He sets high standards, and the players respond by willingly doing whatever it takes to meet them. He addresses them as “Sir,” and insists on the same honorific for himself. Jackson, hands down the baddest tough coach in sports-movie history, also demands something more intangible: that his players respect themselves, one another and him. He insists that they sign contracts requiring them to attend classes, sit in the front row, and maintain a C-plus grade point average or better and is willing to lock the gym and forfeit games if they fall behind in their classes.Ĭarter, played by Samuel L. Both films follow the usual sports-movie formulas, at least to a point, and both deal in various ways with larger issues, including striving to rise above mean circumstances and facing life-and-death issues.īoth are ultimately message films, though they have vastly different messages and, while one wears its positive message on its sleeve from the opening minutes, the other turns on an insidious third-act twist that’s been carefully kept out of a well-orchestrated media campaign.Ĭoach Carter is based on the real-life story of Ken Carter, an uncompromising high-school basketball coach at a tough urban school who requires more from his players than great basketball. The last nine days have seen wide releases for two sports-themed movies about tough coaches forging champions.