TotalTelly.co.uk

Devoted to Popular, Cult and Retro TV

Pride [2007] (REGION 1) (NTSC)


Our Price: £5.06 (subject to change)

"I'm tired of embarassing myself, let's get out of here"
Review date: 2007-10-11 Rating: 8 out of 10

I know what you are going to say: "The same concept has been done over and over". And you are right, there are a lot of movies out there based on a group of teenagers facing difficult challenges and finding solace and a way to move forward in life in a sport or an art. The plot of the movie, except for a couple of unexpected turns, is pretty predictable too. But I still think that this is a film worth watching, because the story is presented with the needed level of emotion, and the acting is really good compared to other sport movies out there.

The film is based on the true story of Jim Ellis and his swim team, which he built from scratch after landing in the Philadelphia Department of Recreation as a cleanup worker. Previously, Ellis had been a victim of racial discrimination and had problems with the law as a result. Now, he has to face some of the same problems when he starts coaching a group of kids that are in danger of losing their way in life. With his love and commitment, Ellis finds a way to make these teenagers understand that working as a team and giving it their all is enough to reap the well-deserved benefits.

Terence Howard and Bernie Mac are both excellent in their respective roles, and the cast of kids does not disappoint. The technical aspects relating to the swimming are a little off, but that was expected. You can definitely tell that most of the actors on Ellis' team are not real swimmers, while the kids on the opposing teams are. This of course is possible because the acting needed from the opponents is fairly limited.

I was a competitive swimmer for several years, so I can understand how my interest for the sport may influence my evaluation of this movie, but I still think that most people will have a good time watching it. The only group to which I would not recommend this film is to those that are not interested in swimming and that are looking for a "new story", since they will not find that here.

Similar Products

Reviews


Teaching Pride through Swimming
Review date: 2007-07-01 Rating: 10 out of 10

Jim Ellis (Terrence Howard) loves to swim. During the 60's, he joined his schools swim team, which created problems. Jim is African American, and the white competitors in North Carolina weren't happy to be competing against him.

10 years later, Jim has landed in Philadelphia. Despite his credential to teach math, the only job he can get is cleaning out the recreation center in the poor part of town. It's scheduled to be torn down soon. The only person inside the building is maintenance man Elston (Bernie Mac). The closest anyone else comes to it is playing basketball outside.

That changes one day when the basketball hoops are taken down in the march toward tearing down the center. As five of the guys stand there fuming about the loss of the hoops, Jim invites them in to use the pool.

Slowly, Jim gains their trust and begins to teach them the fundamentals of swimming. They gain enough skill to ask to go to a meet, hoping to meet women. But do five men and one woman really have the skills to compete against all male teams who have been training for years?

Okay, let's get the obvious out of the way first. This is an underdog sports movie featuring kids from a bad neighborhood. Picturing every cliche that normally brings to mind? Yep, they're here.

But, is this movie worth seeing? Absolutely.

As is always needed for a film like this to succeed, you need to become attached to the characters. Jim is a sympathetic character from the start, and the youth he's working with grow on you quickly as well. The result is a movie that truly does inspire.

To top is off, the acting is great. Terrence Howard is absolutely believable as Jim. His drive to reach the kids comes through in every scene. I'm not usually a Bernie Mac fan, but he did a great job as well with a part that is mostly series with a few comic bits thrown in. And the kids were all great.

I do have a couple complaints. The minor one is the needless slowing down of the climax. The two swimmers in the final race are slowed way down to build suspense. And I do mean way down. It was beyond laughable.

My bigger complaint was the language. Considering the PG rating, I was surprised by the handful of "s" words that littered the film. Not as surprising were the few racial epithets used. Unfortunately, they fit the time period and setting of the film.

This film isn't highly original, but it is inspiring. And if that's what you want to watch, you could do much worse then this great film.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Scott Reeves
Gary Sturgis
Terrence Howard
Tom Arnold
Bernie Mac

Creators:
Tom Arnold (Primary Contributor)
Terrence Howard (Primary Contributor)
Matthew Leonetti (Cinematographer)
Aaron Zigman (Composer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Lionsgate
Manufacturer: Lionsgate
EAN: 0031398215431
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Colour, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC,
Release date: 2007-06-26
Universal product code (UPC): 031398215431
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 109 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2007
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)

Add to Cart

© 2006 Darren Hester, DesignsByDarren.com, Some Rights Reserved.
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional