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+.

Currently watching this movie. I looked up further info about Catana. Everything I read said that her first team was all Black males not the mix as shown in the movie. Just wonder why they didn't make that part of her story authentic. Enjoying the movie.

I really liked this flick! I thought the acting was really good overall.

Especially the Algerian guy Ben Youcef. His journey in the story was very interesting.

He starts off really rude and a jerk and then warms up and becomes the hero.

I've seen this guy on Law and Order and a few other things and I think he did a really wonderful.

The story is very moving and I like what it speaks to. That we all are the same and we all need to come together.

Definitely worth a check out!

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.