Glory Road

[Brian in Mesa]

Glory Road

Release Date: January 13, 2006
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: James Gartner
Screenwriter: Christopher Cleveland, Bettina Gilois
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: PG (for racial issues including violence and epithets, and mild language)
Website: Not Available

Starring: Josh Lucas, Derek Luke, Mehcad Brooks, Emily Deschanel, Al Shearer, Tatyana Ali, Jon Voight

Plot Summary: "Glory Road," from Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films, is based on the inspiring true story of the underdog Texas Western basketball team whose drive to win superceded some of the most bruising and difficult challenges during a point in U.S. history of massive cultural and philosophical turmoil. It was a time when, against all odds, the first all African American starting lineup of players took the country by storm and, in a surprise turn of events, won the 1966 NCAA tournament title. Josh Lucas stars as Hall of Famer Don Haskins, the passionately dedicated college basketball coach that changed the history of basketball and, in turn, helped change the course of history. The film is directed by James Gartner, written by Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

University Wants 'Glory Road' Apology
February 10, 2006

Officials at Texas A&M University-Commerce want Walt Disney Co. and the makers of "Glory Road" to apologize for inaccurately linking their school to some of the film's most racially charged scenes.

The movie chronicled the history-making Texas Western Miners, who won the 1966 NCAA title with the first all-black starting lineup in a championship game. It included a "completely false" depiction of a game against East Texas State University, the name of Texas A&M-Commerce at the time, spokeswoman Lorraine Pace said Friday.

In the movie, East Texas fans are shown throwing drinks and popcorn and yelling racial slurs at Texas Western, now known as the University of Texas at El Paso, during a regular-season game in Commerce, Texas. A scene after the game shows a vandalized hotel room, with racial slurs written on the walls in red.

"It was just too awful for words," Pace said.

It never happened, Pace said.

According to UTEP athletic department archives, the Miners played the Lions in El Paso on Dec. 9, 1965. The Miners won 73-51. The Miners won the game in the movie, but the margin was much closer.

"These events specifically depicted as taking place at ETSU and in the Commerce area are completely fabricated and go beyond the realms of literary license and decency," A&M-Commerce President Keith McFarland said in a statement.

Though the Jerry Bruckheimer film opened last month, university officials waited to verify the facts of the game before seeking an apology, Pace said.

The university has asked Disney, Bruckheimer, director James Gartner and the screenplay writers to apologize for the scenes.

Officials with Disney and Bruckheimer's film company weren't immediately available for comment.

The Texas A&M-Commerce complaint isn't the first. Before the movie's nationwide release, supporters of former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp complained that the movie unfairly cast Rupp as a racist.

The Miners, coached by Don Haskins, beat Rupp's all-white Kentucky team 72-65 in the championship game. The movie was adapted from Haskins' book about the season.

 

[arthurracoon]

good movie

 

[Shane]

I agree. Very good movie!

 

[Louis]

Where was Denzel Washington? I thought he coached the group of kids from different races?

A good move no doubt. But at this point it's a regurgitation of so many other movies. I appreciate and empathize with what those guys went through, don't get me wrong.

It was good to see Pete from Smallville still working. The dude from Punk'd was there and of course Derek Luke who can always be counted as the black kid with the chip on his shoulder who has to overcome a few things on this way to being a man.

 

[D-Dogg]

I'm interested in seeing this one. I really liked Remember the Titans..had some great football action shots.

 

[Bada0Bing]

I just picked this up from the Library. My two boys love sports movies and this is PG, so this will be a Sunday night family movie in the near future.

 

[Bada0Bing]

I just watched it. Good movie, even though they modified several of the actual events. Josh Lucas was really good in this. He actually had to gain 43 pounds to play coach Haskins. I thought the basketball scenes where well executed. Basketball seems to be the most difficult sport to accurately portray in a movie. You could tell that these could kids could really play. However, Remember The Titans it is not. It didn’t have the same tension between the teammates, nor were the actual game scenes as emotional.

 

[Mike Olbinski]

Decent movie, I liked the main plot, the story behind it all, and how they overcame all of that to change the face of basketball.

Still, I felt like some of the characters were totally underdeveloped and no real motivation could be found for their actions.

Coach Haskins for one...gets a big coaching gig and goes after all black players because he has no money and they have talent. Yet the only reason he seems to is because he wants to win.

Which is maybe the right thing, but later, when it becomes abour race and all that, you don't know if his focus or motivation has changed from wanting to win, or to fight the racism all around.

Anyways, the movie followed a really generic and used plot in sports movies:

1. Team practices and wins a bunch of games
2. Turmoil and tribulations sets in
3. Team wins the big game, all is right


#2 was so grossly evident in this one my wife and I both laughed out loud. It's like once they went 17-0, the letters started, the beating up started, etc.

Anyways, a fun little movie, but not like the great sports flicks.