Coach Carter

This PG-13 film is not Hoosiers: It's planted in today's urban culture rather than 1950s rural Indiana | Marvin Olasky

Coach Carter is a provocative movie in two ways: It challenges kids who think sports are more important than academics, and it challenges parents who would prefer a clean basketball film like Hoosiers. This PG-13 film is not Hoosiers: It's planted in today's urban culture rather than 1950s rural Indiana, which means it realistically includes bad language and dirty dancing, as well as scenes with drug dealing (including a murder) and others with sexual overtones.

All that, plus an abortion subplot that takes a wrong turn and the absence of a Christian witness, will lead some parents to just say no. Others, however, will welcome a film with so much emphasis on education, hard work, and discipline that The Boston Globe snarled about it playing "like a public service announcement" for taking academics seriously. The Globe asked, "What 11th grader wants to spend a Friday night being hit with such a blunt instrument?"