Glory Road Review
Posted by Jacob Ziegler on 01.16.2006
It kind of reminded me of the place where I work...
GLORY ROAD
January 13, 2006
Coach Don Haskins: Josh Lucas
Bobby Joe Hill: Derek Luke
Jerry Armstrong: Austin Nichols
Harry Flournoy Jr.: Mechad Brooks
Orsten Artis: Alphonso McAuley
Willie "Scoops" Cager: Damaine Radcliff
Nevil Shed: Al Shearer
Willie Worsley: Sam Jones III
David Lattin: Schin A.S. Kerr
Togo Railey: Kip Weeks
Dick Meyers: Mitch Eakins
David Palacio: Alejandro Hernandez
Louie Baudoin: James Olivard
Adolph Rupp: Jon Voight
Moe Iba: Evan Jones
Ross More: Red West
Mary Haskins: Emily Deschanel
Tina: Tatyana Ali
Buena Vista Pictures presents a film directed by James Gartner. It was written by Christopher Cleveland. The running time is 106 minutes. It is rated PG for racial issues, including epithets, and mild language.
BY JACOB ZIEGLER
And now, your starting lineup for the new sports-themed Disney film, "Glory Road!"
At producer, from Detroit, Michigan, it's Jerry Bruckheimer. In recent years, Bruckheimer has taken a liking to the sports film, stemming from the success of "Remember the Titans." With "Glory Road," Bruckheimer steps onto the basketball court to tell the story of the 1963 West Texas Miners, perhaps the greatest underdog team in NCAA history.
His director, also from Michigan, is seasoned commercial director James Gartner, making his feature film debut here. He is charged with the task of taking a film rife with opportunities for cliché and turning it into something a head above the rest.
The star of the film is Josh Lucas, who plays Coach Don Haskins, a former player turned coach who is helming a high school girls' team when West Texas shows interest in him. His no nonsense style and color blind attitude is somewhat of a shocker to the people in his new surroundings. His wife Mary is played by Emily Deschanel (sister to Zooey).
Starring as the point guard Bobby Joe Hill is Derek Luke, who first gained acclaim as the title character in Denzel Washington's directorial debut "Antwone Fisher." Hill is an extremely skilled player who has a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
Rounding out the team is center David Lattin (first-time actor Schin A.S. Kerr), Jerry Armstrong (Austin Nichols), Harry Flournoy Jr. (Mechad Brooks), Orsten Artis (Alphonso McAuley), Willie "Scoops" Cager (Damain Radcliff), Nevil Shed (Al Shearer), Willie Worsley (Sam Jones III), Togo Railey (Kip Weeks), Dick Meyers (Mitch Eakins), David Palacio (Alejandro Hernandez), Louie Baudoin (James Olivard). Key members of the team also include assistant Moe Iba (Evan Jones), and trainer Ross More (Red West).
The principal villain is Adolph Rupp, the highly successful coach from Kentucky who leads his players into the final game against Haskins' Miners. A nearly unrecognizable Jon Voight plays Rupp as a coach who is supremely confident in his own reputation, perhaps more so than the skills of his own players.
The team must undergo a series of setbacks, principally caused by the racial intolerance of many areas the team traveled to. Haskins' Miners were one of the first teams to have a majority of black players (seven to five), and it caused waves wherever they went. The story takes place in 1963, right at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, and I would be interested to know just how big of a part this basketball team played in that.
The film succeeds because it really gets into the minds of basketball players and coaches, and even shows us both sides of the climactic game. The camaraderie between the players and their struggles to come together and play as a team is captured effectively, and a great deal of humor is tossed in, and it feels very natural as opposed to some of the manufactured clichés that many sports films employ.
Josh Lucas makes an admirable hero of the film, and shows that hopefully films like "Stealth" won't be what he is remembered for. In the doldrums of January, "Glory Road" is about as good of a film as anyone could ask for.
The 411: Josh Lucas leads a cast of both seasoned and rookie actors through “Glory Road,” a basketball film that is better than its trailers would lead one to believe. Please make sure to stay through the end credits, as footage from the actual game and interviews with the real players are shown, and it adds a lot of credibility to the film and makes it even more enjoyable.
