From the Rough

"We are all, all of us, including me somebody else's table scraps." Tennessee State University is having a problem with their sports programs. In order to save money they decide to drop the baseball team and add two smaller programs. One of the new programs they add is a men's golf team. The biggest problem they have is that no one wants to coach. The AD recruits swim team coach Catana Starks (Henson) since she has experience playing. She is very excited at the opportunity but when she is told she will receive no scholarships, funding or any help at all she decides to make her own rules. I love sports movies and especially the true ones like this. Like many sports movies this one focuses on the personal stories rather then the sport itself. That's what makes them so great. Unlike other sports movies though this one has a huge focus on the coach's life rather then how she helps the team come together. There are a few cheesy parts in this but for the most part the movie is very inspiring. There really isn't a big motivational speech like many sports movies have but what it does have are little lines that have the same power and inspiration as the long speeches usually given. The characters are great and are really likable. I really did enjoy this and I recommend this but it is not at the same level as Remember The Titans or movies like that. Overall, a very good and inspiring true story that I recommend. Even though there are a few cheesy parts it never comes off as being overly cheesy and laughable. I give this a B+.

Couched within a story about a female African-American coach in a man's world, we discover a parable demonstrating how the combination of dedication, persistence and human compassion can overcome any number of obstacles one encounters in life, both external and self-imposed. The backdrops of an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) as the setting for both gender and (reverse) race bias, politics within a university system, and a few 'good-old-boy' networks help set the stage for the development of the main character played so ably by Taraji Henson. The film effectively develops the secondary story about the group of young men who comprise the golf team struggling to make adjustments in an unfamiliar environment as they transition from adolescence to maturity. Michael Clarke Duncan's character adds a comforting, soothing balm throughout the film. Henry Simmons' does quite a bit with his portrayal of the antagonist as a conflicted administrator, though the part is written rather thinly. Consistent humor throughout the film effectively keeps the film moving along swiftly and helps prevent it from becoming 'message-heavy'. At film's end you're likely to come away smiling and carrying a heart-warming feel-good aura about you as well… and oh, by the way, it's based on a true story; enjoy!

I am an alumnae of TSU and I was looking forward to seeing this movie. There was a buzz about it, then nothing. I was so happy to find it on Netflix tonight and couldn't wait to view it. I never heard of Coach Starks even though I attended the school during the late 1990s. I enjoyed the film for what it was, but I thought it would be...more. More epic, more real, more dramatic. I think more time was needed to really develop the story and characters, but the acting was solid. I almost cried when I saw Michael Clark Duncan! Also, I would have loved to see our beautiful campus and some shots of Nashville. Overall, it was a good movie. It just didn't live up to my expectations.

When I first came across this gem on the Golf Channel, I thought Oh no not another feel good.movie.

It surprised me. Good acting, a thoughtful plot line and a fine bit of golfing.

To bad this doesn't tell the story of the first golf team she had, which was actually all black players, 2 of which were injured football players and one girl. Wondered what actually happened to those first black golfers at the historically black college. The movie starts with one black golfer and 4 foreign players as her founding year.