Pride (C or 2/4 stars)
'Pride', a sports drama directed by Sunu Gonera, tells the inspiring true story of Jim Ellis (Terrence Howard), an engaging schoolteacher in the 1970's who changed lives when he started the 1st African-American swim team in one of Philadelphia's roughest hinterlands. I think it's great to have these invigorating stories on the ascent of poor black folk. The 1st half of 'Pride' is surprisingly good, & Howard does a great job with what's ultimately a fairly bland film.
In 1973, it's not easy for a guy like Ellis to find employment as a teacher. He's quickly refused by Main Line school (Tom Arnold's character). A former competitive swimmer, Ellis accepts the job of taking-down a dilapidated public pool, run by Philly's Department of Recreation. At first he bumps heads with a janitor, Elston (the always funny Bernie Mac). But opinions of each other change once Ellis invites some troubled black teens into the pool. Hakim (Nate Parker) thinks he's a tough guy and challenges Ellis to a race. Ellis wins, but then re-challenges the 5 teens to take up some serious swimming. With help from Elston, Ellis saves the public pool by starting the 1st black swim team. They acquire a female, Willie, & they believe they're on their way to rivaling the white teams.
Jim Ellis embraces these teens, hoping to instill some values that will carry them through their lives. The kids face some personal hardships (both in and out of the pool). I won't divulge if they either win or lose any of the meets (though you can guess given the trajectory of the story). Grrr, I wanted to love this. But the film turns too formulaic, too quickly. There are no surprises here, but it IS genuine in its intentions. When I say surprises, I mean it in the same way Glory Road, Invinsible, Freedom Writers, Stomp the Yard, etc were not surprising. It's not corny, but 'Pride' is from a tired genre. Not everything in this film is true to life. There just HAD to be the mean street dude, sulking in his car, slowly driving by the kids, dishing out threats. I don't know, there just seemed to be too many cliched stereotypical black hardships here ... we've seen them all before.
Strengths here? Well, I'm sure the ladies won't mind seeing some firm male bodies walking around in nothing but tight Speedos. And the overall tone of the film is charming & uplifting. Terrence Howard is great here. But it's almost out-of-place that his performance be so nuanced & smart amid a pretty weak screenplay. Also, you'd think the 'focus' of the film would be on the kids and their swimming techniques, it's not. We barely get to know them (ex: tall one, dumb one, angry one, etc). Overall, the film lacks true authenticity. The melodrama overbears the actual inspirational story. But the film isn't a dud; I liked several moments.
In 1973, it's not easy for a guy like Ellis to find employment as a teacher. He's quickly refused by Main Line school (Tom Arnold's character). A former competitive swimmer, Ellis accepts the job of taking-down a dilapidated public pool, run by Philly's Department of Recreation. At first he bumps heads with a janitor, Elston (the always funny Bernie Mac). But opinions of each other change once Ellis invites some troubled black teens into the pool. Hakim (Nate Parker) thinks he's a tough guy and challenges Ellis to a race. Ellis wins, but then re-challenges the 5 teens to take up some serious swimming. With help from Elston, Ellis saves the public pool by starting the 1st black swim team. They acquire a female, Willie, & they believe they're on their way to rivaling the white teams.
Jim Ellis embraces these teens, hoping to instill some values that will carry them through their lives. The kids face some personal hardships (both in and out of the pool). I won't divulge if they either win or lose any of the meets (though you can guess given the trajectory of the story). Grrr, I wanted to love this. But the film turns too formulaic, too quickly. There are no surprises here, but it IS genuine in its intentions. When I say surprises, I mean it in the same way Glory Road, Invinsible, Freedom Writers, Stomp the Yard, etc were not surprising. It's not corny, but 'Pride' is from a tired genre. Not everything in this film is true to life. There just HAD to be the mean street dude, sulking in his car, slowly driving by the kids, dishing out threats. I don't know, there just seemed to be too many cliched stereotypical black hardships here ... we've seen them all before.
Strengths here? Well, I'm sure the ladies won't mind seeing some firm male bodies walking around in nothing but tight Speedos. And the overall tone of the film is charming & uplifting. Terrence Howard is great here. But it's almost out-of-place that his performance be so nuanced & smart amid a pretty weak screenplay. Also, you'd think the 'focus' of the film would be on the kids and their swimming techniques, it's not. We barely get to know them (ex: tall one, dumb one, angry one, etc). Overall, the film lacks true authenticity. The melodrama overbears the actual inspirational story. But the film isn't a dud; I liked several moments.