“Glory Road” follows routine, yet winning, sports-film formula
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“Glory Road” is a historical account of the momentous 1966 NCAA championship winner Texas Western University (now UTEP). The context is this: Texas Western – a small, obscure school known more for football than basketball, hired women’s high school basketball coach Don Haskins to be their basketball coach, starting in 1966. Haskins made history when he coached the first starting lineup of all black players – who beat Adolph “the Baron” Rupp’s dominating Kentucky Wildcats in the championship game (and as a Utahn, it felt great to see Kentucky lose).
Also note that even though the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned institutional racial segregation, college sport teams were still commonly all white – especially in the South. In regards to his line-up decision, Haskins said “I was simply playing the best players I had.” The film depicts the decision being a bit more deliberate, but no matter: either way it was a right choice that actually contributed to society. Following the championship, southern universities began to recruit black students more aggressively.
I saw this movie with my father, who was 15 when this game took place. He remembers the game well and liked the film’s accuracy and portrayals, especially Big Daddy, Bobby Joe and Nevil Shed. “I always like sports movies and I enjoyed this one” he said, “but I don’t know whether it was a good movie because I am too close to the story.”
Well, it is a good movie. For one thing, it fulfills all three tenets of the film axiom, stating that films can be entertaining, educational and edifying. This film is a triple threat, succeeding at all counts. By seeing this movie, one can enjoy humor and the thrill of competition, learn about an important moment in our nation’s history and rejoice in understanding true cause-and-effect reactions.
Secondly, the cast is enjoyable to watch, particularly Josh Lucas as tough, gruff Texas Western coach Don Haskins, Derek Luke as suave guard Bobby Joe Hill and Jon Voight as legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp. Voight’s performance is particularly marvelous – Pat Riley (who played under Rupp, and started for this game) commented that Voight’s portrayal was so accurate it was “eerie.” One reason may be Voight’s insistence on method acting, meaning he remains “in character” whenever on the movie set.
Thirdly, this is LDS-commercial director James Gartner’s feature directorial debut. Although the film missteps a bit here and there, Gartner’s fresh style appropriately highlights this great story. For instance, montage sequences didn’t feel necessary and gospel music was a bit too present in many scenes. Yet these are ticky-tack offenses. The climactic game provides plenty of good basketball, with impressive cinematography to boot.
“Road” has been accused by some as being formulaic. Sure, it follows a familiar formula, but formulas exist for a reason – they work – and are only inappropriate when the story requires a different structure. “Road” is a no-frills cross between “Hoosiers” and “Remember the Titans,” and thank goodness, it belongs in their league.
Chris Blakesley is a film critic for the Utah Statesman. Comments can be sent to him at cblakes@cc.usu.edu.