First they struck gold with football. Four years later they redid it with hockey. Last September, they even tried to do it with golf. Now Disney is back at it again with "Glory Road," the latest in a string of historical sports films with that familiar box-office tagline: "based on a true story."
This time around with its cookie-cutter formula, Disney is taking on basketball, a sport that has changed drastically since the '60s. Back then was a time when the cheerleaders' skirts were worn mid-shin and the players' shorts were worn mid-thigh. More historically significant, however, was the absence of African American players on the court.
It is not a stretch to say that black athletes revolutionized the sport. Although it started slow, the transformation hit new levels during the 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. Led by a new coach, Don Haskins, Texas Western College (now the University of Texas at El Paso) entered the championship game with an all-black starting lineup — the first in NCAA history.
The archetypical underdog story, "Glory Road" details the series of events leading up to the Miners' shocking upset. (Yes, they win the big game. Surprise, surprise. The ending can't really be spoiled when it is based on a true story.) Every other cliché from the sports film genre is there as well, completely distancing the more significant racial issues of the film.
A doting wife (Emily Deschanel, FOX's "Bones") tries to deal with playing second fiddle to the team, while still standing by her man and holding her family together. Meanwhile, a substandard storyline develops where one of the players must balance life on the court with a budding relationship with a pretty girl (Tatyana Ali, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"). Not to mention, one night the boys go out and get tipsy on Tequila only to be reamed out and subsequently overworked at practice the next day. And if that is not enough, Jon Voight even makes an appearance. With the help of some facial prosthetics, he molds his crotchety coach character from "Varsity Blues" into an uninspired performance as the legendary coach Adolph Rupp of the University of Kentucky.
This unimaginativeness is mirrored in the performances of the main characters as well. Josh Lucas ("Stealth"), doing what seems to be his best Kevin Costner impression, walks through the role of Coach Haskins without ever really engaging the audience. Like a lot of other cinematic coaches, Lucas' Haskins lacks anything original and compelling that would develop a distinct alignment with the character.
The team is played by a host of rather unknown actors. Audiences may recognize Derek Luke ("Antwone Fisher") or perhaps Mehcad Brooks (taking a break from his boring storyline on "Desperate Housewives"). However, if they did not know any of the actors before, "Glory Road" should not change that a bit, as their characters are all so underdeveloped that none stand out whatsoever. Sure, there may be no "I" in "team," but this is Hollywood. Give the viewers someone to root for.
Yet, as clichéd and under-acted as it may be, "Glory Road" cannot be completely crucified. As low as they may be, the film does fulfill all of its expectations. With its mid-century racism and the incessant struggle for team unity, viewers cannot help but think of "Glory Road" as a sort of "Remember the Titans" àla basketball. No question it is an almost spot-on comparison, albeit with a few more shortcomings, making it a lot less memorable.
Nonetheless, the viewers get exactly what most interested in this type of film want to see. Providing nothing above and beyond its goal, it is the male version of the chick flick, effectively masking a feel-good message of brotherhood within the brawny world of athletics.
And like most chick flicks, "Glory Road" is a decent, mediocre film. It does its sole job of telling an interesting story that is based on fact. Sure, artistic license is no doubt present, but the overarching journey of the team is what really holds the movie together and also keeps the audience — although maybe not completely fascinated — at least mildly interested.
Aside from the triteness of the side stories, racism is still the central glue of "Glory Road." No matter what, the reality of the story still manages to tug at the heartstrings and the moment of victory still gives viewers goose bumps. Sadly, however, due to a horrible imbalance between serious and stale, the film never reaches beyond mediocrity.
Rating: 2 out of 5
