"GLORY ROAD"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Josh Lucas as DON HASKINS Derek Luke as BOBBY JOE HILL Emily Deschanel as MARY HASKINS Jon Voight as COACH ADOLPH RUPP Rated PG Studio: Walt Disney Pictures Directed by: James Gartner Back to DVD Review Home |  |
I opened my review of “The Greatest Game Ever Played” with a confession that I didn’t like golf. Well, I have another confession to make... I’m not a huge fan of basketball, either.
Now, I don’t hate basketball like I hate golf. I can stomach basketball, and if you get to see it played live rather than on television, it is a fun time. However, I’ve never been much of a sports fan at all. My wife loves it because she’s never become a football widow (although I have been known to leave for a weekend to watch 24 hours of horror movies or something insane like that).
So, I came into the film “Glory Road” not knowing much about the history behind the story. For those in my same position, here’s the basic plot... Josh Lucas stars as a small-time basketball coach who takes a thankless job coaching the West Texas Miners so he can make his mark on division one basketball. As he assembles his team, he bucks convention by choosing a large number of black players to be on his team.
Okay, I know that in the backdrop of today’s world, this sounds ludicrous. I mean, what coach of what team today would turn up his nose as starting some black players. After all, is there anyone out there nowadays that says, “Yeah, well we could get some black kids on our team, but are you sure they can handle playing basketball?”
However, as silly as the plot sounds, this was a reality in the 1960s. On the cusp of the civil rights movement, there was still plenty of discrimination against black players, and Don Haskins put himself in jeopardy by not following the racial rules of the day.
Some have labeled “Glory Road” as a “Remember the Titans” on the basketball court, and they are totally right about this. While both are true stories, they touch on many similar issues. Not only does the coach face problems after he brings on so many black players, but all the players (both black and white) face their own challenges.
Sports fans will remember the significance of the West Texas Miners 1966 team when they had a starting line-up of all black players in the NCAA tournament, which serves as the film’s climax. While the game was not a squeaker, its historical significance outweighs its lack of suspense.
The weakest link in this film is Lucas as Coach Haskins. While Josh Lucas is likeable enough in some romantic comedies and other flicks, he just doesn’t have the same acting chops to become one of the memorable screen coaches. He just isn’t in the same league as Gene Hackman, Denzel Washington or Kurt Russell.
Aside from Lucas, the rest of the cast is well assembled. Emily Deschanel has the unfortunate job of playing Haskins’ wife, leaving her with forgettable scenes at home. The film is, after all, about basketball and not about Haskins’ home life.
The DVD comes with an impressive slate of special features, including two commentary tracks. The first is primarily given by director James Gartner with a couple interview clips of uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer chiming in. The second commentary features the writers, Chris Cleveland and Bettina Gilois.
Other special features include deleted scenes, a music video with Alicia Keys and three featurettes. The most interesting featurette is “Surviving Practice,” which shows the real Coach Haskins training on the court. With candid interviews and his gritty attitude, it’s clear to see that Haskins wasn’t out there to make a societal point. He was just putting together the best team he could. And that’s why he was such a pioneer in the purest sense of the word.
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Widescreen (2.35:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions. French and Spanish language tracks. French and Spanish subtitles. English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
