Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer (left) and director James Gartner attend the after party for the premiere of 'Glory Road' in Hollywood on January 5.
IT DOESN'T take more than a quick glance at the trailer of Glory Road for Remember the Titans to come to mind. In truth there are more than a few ways in which Glory Road feels like Remember the Titans: The Sequel. Fortunately, that is not the same fate as being a Scary Movie sequel.
As such, despite the things about it that make Glory Road feel familiar, it is a rather enjoyable flick. It is a story filled with heart, interesting characters, humour, and (the essential ingredient) good sports moment. Glory Road is intended to be an inspirational story taken from sports history about the change of the face, or rather the race of basketball.
It pivots around the first all-black starting line-up in NCAA history in 1966. Looking at the face of basketball today, it seems hard to imagine a time when blacks did not dominate the sport.
As such, though there are several other sports movies which shares it underdog, guts to glory theme, Glory Road bears its most striking resemblance to Remember the Titans. But where the earlier movie got much of its energy from the powerful presence of Denzel Washington, Josh Lucas (who plays Coach Haskins) is not quite so enigmatic.
COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
As such, Glory Road is a much more collaborative effort and depended heavily on the team's ability to worm their way into your affections. This was largely aided by Antwoine Fisher's Derek Luke (Bobby Joe Hill) and Mechad Brooks (Harry Flournoy).
Writers Chris Cleveland and Betina Gilois and director James Garter take out the playbook and then follow all the rules of the inspirational sports story in making this flick, and it works. They mix in all the elements which make sports movies great. They are often tales of the underdog which show how courage, selflessness, strength and skill can overcome great odds. Glory Road goes for the heart strings and it makes a slam dunk.
DRAMATIC IRONY
The film is laced with dramatic irony which fuels much of its enjoyment, as one watches a racist America attempt to delude themselves about the implausibility of black players, not merely dominating, but actually having equal play on the court.
As such, like Remember the Titans, it plays on the idea of sports as important to the wider society, not just the team. It examines how successful athletes can change their lives by being good at their game, but then expands that to suggest how sports can help to change society.
Glory Road effectively highlights that sports are not just games. But, importantly, it has some great sporting moments so that as a sports movie and as a heart warming flick about courage against oppression it makes a slam dunk.
