Glory Road (2006) User Reviews

Formulaic but still scores

[Jay_Exiomo · 7/10 · 22 March 2006]

In 1966, a coach of a girl's basketball team comes to Texas Western College and recruits seven black players to lead them to the top.

Right from the trailers and the posters, you probably know how "Glory Road" is gonna go: an underdog NCAA basketball team must face great odds to win the championship. It's a sports movie based from true events (read: based) with a Hollywood tag plastered over its forehead that features reluctant heroes overcoming their problems and giving it all for the game. Nonetheless, the movie achieves more than that.

While this Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Disney movie plot is typical (remember the Titans?), the underlying socio-political theme effectively presents the ills of racism - a problem with no easy way out of (ask Paul Haggis). The key characters of the game are dealing with discrimination and the only way they can get back is to win. Of course, a little research told me that some of the details about the real events were changed for cinematic purposes. It's completely fine by me as long as the end product justifies the means. And boy it does. The performances are also good. Josh Lucas gives a terrific performance as Don Haskins, the head coach of the team that featured the first all-black starting lineup in US NCAA history.

"Glory Road" is a formulaic yet an enjoyable film. It's a movie that gives itself away as soon as one character says "I want to play, Coach!" Still it has charm and excitement that comes from seeing it for what it is. It's predictable, yeah, but it's not much different from seeing a replay of a game where your favorite team won.

conventional but entertaining sports flick

[Buddy-51 · 7/10 · 9 March 2006]

"Glory Road" tells the true story of Don Haskins, the basketball coach for Western Texas College, who in the mid 1960's, broke the color barrier in the NCAA by being the first to feature a majority of black players on his team. The movie chronicles the obstacles he and his players faced, as well as their ultimate triumph when the team won the national championship in 1966.

"Glory Road" worships at the altar of just about every underdog-sports-movie cliché one can imagine, yet the viewer can't help getting caught up in its story anyway. The scenes in the first half of the movie definitely have a familiar ring to them, as we see the coach first alienating his players with his hardnosed tactics, then winning them over by building comradeship and showing them how much they can accomplish when they work together as a team rather than as individuals. However, as with "Remember the Titans," "Glory Road" is more interested in examining the social background of its time period than in merely telling yet another sports-oriented David and Goliath tale. The second half of the film concentrates more on the overt racism the team members face and the surprising courage they and their coach demonstrate in confronting it (could this really be set a mere 40 years ago?). The young actors are uniformly excellent, but it is Josh Lucas as Coach Haskins who delivers the powerhouse performance here. And director James Gartner manages to keep the film moving at a fast clip, never allowing it to get bogged down in message-mongering or overt preachiness.

Almost in spite of itself, "Glory Road" turns into a genuinely inspiring story about courage and determination in the face of societal pressure and incalculable odds. And that's pretty much what sports stories, familiar though they might be, are really all about.

Started Slow - but got better and better and better ...

[Vic_max · 7/10 · 4 September 2007]

This 2 hour movie is pretty lackluster for the first 50 minutes or so. Then it picks up and the intensity builds and builds right to the end. It's simply one of those great sports movie that's really well done.

This is the story based on one of the most historic series of games in basketball history. A "minor" coach hired is hired to coach an equally "minor" Texas basketball team - but decides to do something different. He hires black players to play ... the year is 1965.

Because it's based on true events it has an immediate interest value. The fact that it deals with the colorblind "win or lose" dictum of sports coupled with racial tensions makes it all the more potentially interesting.

The movie delivers the goods: great performances and a lot of sports suspense. However, you have give it chance - the first one forth of the show is kind of slow.

For basketball fans and general audiences alike - this is a good movie worth checking out.

Everyone ought to see this Film, especially Basket Ball Game lovers

[leslieberger2002 · 3 February 2006]

Whether you are a fan of basketball or not, this film touches on so many different topics. A show about real life, portrayed by some dynamic actors. Oh my, Josh Lucas, the coach was amazing on film as well as the "real coach" he portrayed. How wonderful he was to be "color blind" when coaching the game of basketball, down in the south where there was so much cruelty and prejudice.

This was a heartfelt movie where often, I got upset to see how cruel people would be to others, just because of the color of their skin. I am "white" though not white like this screen, lol, and raised in Los Angeles during the late 60's/70's and just never understood why people would not like you, without even knowing you just because of your looks/race.

Anyway, go see the movie, it is great! The beautiful tatyana ali who was on since a child Fresh Prince of Bel Air, I almost did not recognize her.....she did such a marvelous job acting in the role of Tina!

Left out some important facts to boost the hype, but decent movie

[cthoenen1 · 7/10 · 16 January 2006]

First off, it was just too similar to remember the titans, but I liked that movie two. The only thing that bothered me about this movie was that removal of some important facts.

Texas Western had three Black Players on the team already, upon Don Haskin's Arrival. Don Haskin's wasn't the sole person leading a movement to recruit black players. In their conference, they played many teams with black players.

Loyola-Chicago, while not fielding 5 black starters, fielded four of them and won the championship in 1963. So even though Texas Western was the first team to win with all black starters, other primarily black teams have won prior.

At the end of the movie, they talk about how people felt black players could never be as good as white players. Even as the movie shows, the all-American player they went against (I believe he was from University of Texas) was Black. The NCAA recognized that player as one of the best players in the sport.

Again, it was a good movie, but I felt a little let down that they manipulated the story a tad for the sake of entertainment.

Excellent story with some artistic license

[charliewak · 10/10 · 15 April 2006]

I was a Texas Western graduate in 1966 and attended the school all four previous years that Don Haskins ("the Bear") coached the basketball team. Of course, Coach Haskins came to TWC in 1961 and built his team over 5 years, not in one year as the movie tells it. I went to every home game in 1965-66 and remember every one as if it were yesterday. I watched all of the away games that were televised, including all of the games the Miners played in the NCAA tournament. Even though the producers of "Glory Road" took considerable artistic license, the story is mostly true. Here are some facts. The Miners blew away fourth ranked Iowa during a holiday tournament that season. It wasn't even close as the movie depicts it. The great comeback was against New Mexico in the "Pit". When Hispanic guard David Palacio came in to play in the second half, the team seemed to settle down and came from a 20 point deficit to win in overtime. The incredibly close game, and probably best game in America that year between the true best college teams in America was the Regional final between third ranked TWC and fourth ranked Kansas (not #1 Kentucky and #2 Duke in the final four semifinal), when Jo Jo White made that last second basket in overtime with his foot on the base line. The Miners went on to beat Kansas 81-80 in double overtime. Then the Miners beat Utah in the first game of the final four. If white player Jerry Armstrong hadn't defended against Utah's great Jerry Chambers, a black player, the Miners probably wouldn't have made it to the championship game against Kentucky. Chambers was beating every defender badly, including Lattin, Shed, and Flournoy, until Armstrong was put in to cover him. Chambers finished with 38 points, mostly in the first half and was the tournament's MVP.

Coach Haskins is beloved by every El Pasoan, whether living in the city now or not, and is a true American treasure. It's wonderful for the rest of the country and the world to finally learn about "the Bear" and his great 1966 Miner team that El Paso has known and loved for 40 years. It's much more than a basketball story, it's a story about tolerance and what hard work and discipline can do through the leadership and determination of a great coach and human being.

The acting was superb, especially Josh Lucas' performance as "the Bear". His performance was spot on. The young actors playing on the team were outstanding. The early tensions shown between the black and white players in the movie did not exist according to the real players on that team. The book "Glory Road" is a must read, because it tells the true story told by "the Bear", Don Haskins, himself. I also recommend David Lattin's book "Slam Dunk to Glory". The producers should have shown the real life characters, including Coach Haskins, Pat Riley, and some of the actual 1966 players earlier in the credits, because most of the audiences leave the theater without knowing they're going to be interviewed. I thought that was the most interesting part of the movie. The movie and the story deserve a perfect 10. I hope it wins some awards.

Glory Road's History of TWC and Games Inaccurate

[chill-61 · 7/10 · 19 January 2006]

Glory Road is a very entertaining movie if you are will to overlook its many inaccuracies. The movie would make the viewer think that Coach Haskins came to TWC and recruited a national championship caliber team in his first year as a collegiate coach. The truth is that Coach Haskins had been at TWC for 3 or 4 years before the national championship year and that there were several black players already at TWC including Nolan Richardson. Haskins also recruited Jim Barnes before the championship year and teams that Barnes played on may have been better than the championship team.

The film also take too many liberties with the games that were played during the championship year. The first game of the year was not a nail biter as the film shows but almost a 50 point blowout. The film shows that Iowa led TWC most of the game. The Iowa game was never close and certainly was no buzzer beater. The fact is that TWC only played a handful of games that were close that year, most notably against New Mexico and then in the NCAA Tournament against Cincy and Kansas.

The most disappointing inaccuracy shown in the film was the final game against Kentucky. Kentucky only led briefly in the game and TWC had as much as an 11 point lead in the 2nd half. TWC was not behind when Bobby Joe Hill stole the ball twice in the first half. The two steals allowed TWC to expand its lead to 5 points and set the tone for the rest of the game. I know the producers of the movie had to have a more exciting finish to keep the audience excited but the truth is that the game was never much in doubt. If anyone has seen the actual game film that exists, you will see a poorly played offensive game by both teams and an outstanding defensive effort by TWC. The movie should have paid more time on Coach Haskins' three guard strategy to counter Kentucky's fast break offense.

Glory Road is an inspirational movie but not a very accurate movie if you know the history of TWC. See the movie if you want to watch a feel good movie but not if you are looking for sports fact.

Great Message Based on a True Story

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 7 January 2017]

In 1965, the coach of the high school girl basketball team Don Haskins (Josh Lucas) is invited by the Texas Western Miners to be their coach. Despite the lack of budget, Haskins sees the chance to dispute the NCAA and moves with his wife and children to the college dormitory. He recruits seven talented and rejected black players to play with five Caucasian players and formed a legendary team that wined the 1966 national championship against the powerful Kentucky.

"Glory Road" is an engaging film with a great message based on a true story. In a period when the racism was explicit in the USA, Don Haskins challenged many people with his team of black players implementing discipline and training and winning the NCAA against all the odds. The film shows the difficulties and prejudice the players were submitted and how they superseded all the relationship problems proving that they were equal to (or even better than) the white players. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Estrada para a Glória" ("Road to the Glory")

Works better as a movie than a history lesson

[TheMovieMark · 7/10 · 13 January 2006]

"We play fundamental, disciplined, defensive basketball."

Don Haskins wasn't interested in flashy, behind-the-back passes. Initially, slam dunks were even banned. Coming from the school of thought that "showboatin's nothing but insecurity," Haskins was intent on teaching a group of street-ballers the fine art of fundamentals because he knew that's what it would take to win a championship.

Haskins also had no interest in making political statements. He believed in recruiting the best raw talent he could find, regardless of race or background. His main goal was to win basketball games, and he would do that any way he could. He chose to play an all-black starting lineup against the all-white Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA championship game not so that he could champion a cause but because those were the guys he thought would give the team the best chance of winning. It just so happens that Haskins and Texas Western were able to break down a few color barriers along the way. As one of the original players said, "We didn't break down all the doors, but we opened some."

The thing that impressed me most regarding Glory Road is the authentic look and feel of the movie, particularly the championship game. Filmed with a gritty, sepia look, the viewer gets the sense that he's watching genuine footage from the '60s. The cinematography executes a great balance between colorful and drab, effectively capturing the environment of the time and location.

Production design is just as authentic, using replicas of signs and banners that were at the actual game. Those with a real eye for detail will note that even the concession cups carry the Coca-Cola design of 1966. And of course, a basketball movie set in 1966 wouldn't be complete without the super tight short shorts. Youngsters familiar only with the parachute pants that players wear these days might be in for a culture shock.

It's worth noting that the cast and crew were so intent on making the championship game as accurate as possible that they studied choreographed storyboards of each play that would be recreated for the film. Homemade video footage of the game was used to assure legitimacy.

Unfortunately, legitimacy isn't a main concern with regard to the rest of the story. Glory Road is fast, dramatic, and often funny, but it plays it loose with the facts. Some purists might be dismayed, but director Gartner admits, "We took some artistic license as this isn't intended to be a biopic."

Haskins didn't swoop into El Paso, quickly find a group of black players, and then turn them into a championship team in one year, as the movie would have you believe. He slowly built the team. He became the head coach of Texas Western in 1961 and made it to the championship in 1966. Also, the movie is peppered with racial tension among teammates and hotel ransackings that never happened. Can you say "added for dramatic effect"?

But I suggest that you not dwell too much on the factual inconsistencies. The bottom line is that Glory Road is not only entertaining, but it also gets across an important point. No, Haskins wasn't trumpeting a cause, but his desire to win at any cost went a long way in changing the national perception of black athletes and helped kick start the desegregation of college sports.

If you agree with Haskins' "Decent don't cut it with me" mantra then check out Glory Road. It's not just decent; it's a really good mixture of fact and fiction that tells one of the most important, and least known, stories in sports history.

Make sure you stay through the closing credits.

entertaining

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 3 July 2015]

Josh Lucas stars in "Glory Road," a 2006 Disney film, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

The film purports to tell the true story of Don Haskins, the basketball coach led the Texas Western Miners to a National Championship victory in 1966.

From what I know, there is a lot of dramatic license taken here, though it remains an inspiring story, and the basketball game played at the championships was very exciting. Also, at the end of the film, there are interviews with the real-life players and with Haskins himself as the credits are rolling.

Haskins recruited players with no regard to color, forming a team with 7 blacks and 5 white players. He wasn't the first person to have black players on a team. I think what made him stand out were the numbers and the fact that at the championship, the starters were black and everyone on the Kentucky team was white.

The film shows Haskins as an extremely tough coach, and his insistence that there be no "showboating" However, during a losing game (and I have no idea if this is true) one of the black players told Haskins that they should be allowed to play "their game" which included some showboating, I guess. Haskins said okay and the team went on to win.

In the championship game, they went up against Kentucky, coached by Ed Rupp (Jon Voight) who is portrayed as a racist. However, he went on to draft black players and is considered one of the greatest coaches in college basketball.

Josh Lucas plays Haskins, and he does a great job as a tough, determined coach. He was the reason I rented this film as I liked him on his ill-fated TV show, The Firm. He really carries this movie. Jon Voight, Emily Deschanel (Haskins' wife) have small roles as the focus is on the team players.

The actors on the team all did a wonderful job. The film shows the hatred and prejudice against them but also the eventual acceptance. In the film, there are problems within the team when the new players first arrived, though I understand that wasn't really the case.

Like all of these underdog films, it's inspiring with exciting, moving, and dramatic moments. Recommended.

By The Numbers Supposed Inspirational Moment of Sports History

[noralee · 7/10 · 9 February 2006]

Even with never having seen "Remember the Titans," "Coach Carter," "Miracle," or even "Hoosiers," etc. etc. I can still tell that "Glory Road" is a pretty much by the numbers "based on a true story" intended to be an inspirational moment of sports history.

The best moments are those that are unique to this individual portrait of an ambitious small college basketball coach who makes the somewhat cynical decision just to win by exponentially integrating NCAA games through the recruitment and playing of black players in the early '60's. The tour of Northern and inner city neighborhoods, such as Gary, Houston and the South Bronx, and how he cajoles them and their families in to coming to El Paso is both entertaining and sociologically revealing of class issues at the time. I particularly liked a comment that the best job possibilities a black basketball prodigy had at the time was to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.

But there are only the most trivial token efforts made to put any of this in historical context with brief flashes of TV news about the civil rights movement and the Viet Nam War, with passing references to black power, Martin Luther King and Elijah Mohammed. We hear lots of Motown music and occasional gospel which I guess is the source of the title that other wise eluded me (but "People Get Ready" twice?), though very little country or Latin music despite the Tex Mex locale. We do get some rueful acknowledgment that this is a side light sport in Texas compared to football, as we saw in "Friday Night Lights."

We get some of the usual threats scenes with racists of the period, both alumni supporters and on the road in the South -- though, oddly, none in El Paso. There is one more unusual scene where the white players somewhat uncomfortably try to participate in a black majority party; some of the best dialogs are these gingerly getting to know you black/white interchanges. Otherwise we see very little of their college life, but then playing college ball really is a full-time job.

I was hoping for some ironic awareness that as well as seeing this story as a great civil rights victory of some kind that a coach was playing all-black starters and winning against larger schools with only token black players that this might have been the moment in time when somehow the message all started to go wrong: is this when the wheel turned so that education became a farce --and the only classes we see them in do seem to be dumbed down jock courses-- and all that mattered would be the human and other bling and signing to the NBA from high school? The sop is the brief glimpses we get of the real participants during the credits as we see an interview with the real legends, including coach Pat Riley, who lost to this team in college, and see pictures of the real players with brief descriptions of their career and family paths, many as teachers, including working as coaches from high school to professional leagues. How did it get from them to kids graduating with no non-basketball skills and no moral compass?

Josh Lucas is personable as always, but he is the garden variety inspirational coach. If he said "son" one more time, rather than referring to a player by name, I thought I'd scream. Emily Deschanel has almost nothing to do in a virtual traditional First Lady role as his wife who tolerates living in a boys' dorm with their little kids.

Derek Luke is the stand out among the players. Their court action is very convincing.

Jon Voight, with prosthetics, is marvelous in a virtual cameo as the nemesis, Coach 'Adolph' Rupp, of the Goliath they face in the finals. Of course, the credits hasten to add that Rupp later expanded his black roster and coaching staff.

I know very little about basketball so I appreciated that all the games were narrated by sports broadcasters.

Per any Bruckheimer produced movie, it is very loud.

Looking back to this somewhat innocent experience as some bright shining moment doesn't change that the NCAA still needs to cleanse its soul. It's sad to see what colleges could have done with these opportunities for young black men.

A Good Movie

[tjgemail · 8/10 · 20 January 2006]

Glory Road reminded me of Miracle: They both start with a coach assembling a team, and end with that team doing something seemingly impossible. Notwithstanding one scene with mild violence, this is an excellent movie to take the kids to see; not only is it "safe", but its message is valuable.

The director (not Bruckheimer as another review mistakenly wrote), James Gartner, does a artful job of depicting the intensity of the basketball games...particularly the final game against Kentucky. Josh Lucas does a superb job as Coach Haskins; the audience immediately identifies with him.

Overall, I give the movie an 8 out of 10.

less preachy and schmaltzy than most Disney movie in the 'based on a true story'genre

[disdressed12 · 7/10 · 2 August 2007]

this is a Disney movie 'based on real events',which means the events and the characters are real,but there was probably a lot of dramatic license taken to make it more interesting for audiences.although a lot of times i find Disney movies of the 'based on a true story' genre overly schmaltzy and preachy,i didn't find that here.it is an a inspirational story,don't get me wrong.but it's more restrained than usual.this is really,odd,since it is a Jerry Bruckheimer production.i liked the movie,for the most part.i found the dramatic moments more interesting and entertaining than the basketball sequences.most of those i found underwhelming,except for the last one.of course,the movie is predictable.it is after all an underdog story,so i wouldn't fault anyone for that.the acting is good for the most part.the only thing i would say in the regard is that Josh Lucas,although good in his role as the basketball coach,doesn't always come across as having as much passion as his character should have.that could just be me though. i also didn't that this movie was quite as exciting as other movies of the genre.these are just minor issues though.it's still a good movie,though. for me,"Glory Road" is a 7/10

Stick to history don't distort it to "feel good"

[egodraconis · 2/10 · 22 October 2006]

Living in El Paso TX waiting for friends to finish their time serving in the Army at Fort Bliss leaves me a lot of time to study local culture and history in this border town, and I spend a lot of time going to the movies.

Recently, Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer made a film based on a true story about a small time basketball coach who, in 1966, took the lowly Texas Westerns to the NCAA championship. Called "Glory Road" tells the story of Don Haskins -- the first college basketball coach to integrate his team with African-American players causing an immediate firestorm of controversy. The film explores Haskins's struggles, along with those of his team as they battle for ultimate victory.

Did you like "Remember the Titans?" I mean really like it? Because producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the Walt Disney Corporation have plowed through the annals of sports history to serve up almost the exact same story, this time taking their dubious intentions to the world of college basketball. I wasn't a fan of "Titans;" I found the film an insufferable, simplistic creation that made a mockery of real-life racism in the 1960s and "Road" simply reheats the same stew.

Bruckheimer has chosen James Gartner to make his directing debut with "Road," and the newcomer seems like an apt choice, since this a film that doesn't require much direction. "Road" is formula at its most poisonous, with Gartner mechanically visualizing the Crayola script, regardless of how ridiculous the film gets.

"Road" is grabbing at inspirational and heart-warming messages, but the screenplay is entirely obnoxious, plugging up any honest thrill of this story with appalling caricatures of Caucasians (who wave Confederate flags at the final game), one-dimensional supporting roles (Emily Deschanel, as Haskins's wife, is given nothing to play), and bestowing immediate sainthood on any black character within striking distance.

The script even gives one player a heart defect for him to overcome, just to jackhammer home the point that these guys had everything against them. There is simply nothing resembling real life in the film, just basic cable motivations and infantile storytelling that somehow lucked itself into a big screen release pattern and budget. I can't fault Bruckheimer for softening the story, but in his pursuit to make a film that has vicious mass appeal, he's bled the humanity and emotional weight completely out of this significant historical achievement.

If it wasn't for Josh Lucas's performance as Haskins, there wouldn't be anything in "Road" to recommend. Lucas has the perfect idea to ignore the rest of the movie, and focus deeply on the scorching passion Haskins has for the game. Lucas is completely authentic in the role, and adds to the electricity of the repetitive game sequences with his fiery courtside demeanor. Of course, he still has to deal with the script's obsession with never-ending inspirational speeches (a Derek Luke specialty) and grotesque paint-by-numbers plotting, but he's good here, against all the odds.

What really angers about "Road" is the absence of a true team portrait for the Texas Westerns. By only focusing in on the black members, Gartner has done a great disservice to the other athletes who helped define the team's winning season. "Road" provides the faintest of characterizations for these players, only calling them in to continually diminish their role in the team's importance, or to use them as cartoons to help underscore their differences in skin color. What a shame. To confuse matters more, "Road" closes with a real snapshot of the winning team. In the picture, we see the whole squad, standing together proud and victorious, bringing on one and only thought: who were those white and Hispanic dudes?

Bounce the Basketball Slowly.

[tfrizzell · 10 February 2006]

The true story of the Texas Western University Miners (now called the University of Texas at El Paso) who defied all odds in 1966 by being the first NCAA basketball team to start five African-American players (led by Derek Luke of "Antwone Fisher" and Mehchad Brooks of "Desperate Housewives" fame) and ultimately winning the national championship. New coach Don Haskins (played superbly by Josh Lucas, one of the most under-rated actors in film right now) has trouble recruiting when he first arrives, but finds players in places like Detroit and Brooklyn. In the civil rights torn south though, getting African-American ball players was highly controversial and even potentially dangerous. It ends up being fitting that the team would meet up with Adolph Rupp (impressive transformation as usual for Jon Voight) and his University of Kentucky Wildcats for the championship that year as UK was one of the last major colleges to integrate its basketball team. Socially important story and highly educational for youngsters who may not be familiar with the importance of this stage in contemporary U.S. and sports history. Great sequences and styles in the tradition of sports classics like "Hoosiers", "Remember the Titans" and "Friday Night Lights". 5 stars out of 5.

Another basketball movie

[tastyhotdogs · 6/10 · 17 March 2007]

"Glory Road" is based upon the true story of the Texas Western mens basketball team who won the 1966 NCAA Championship and created history along the way by starting 5 black players in an era when most black players languished on the bench.

We follow the story from the hiring of coach Don Haskins (Josh Lucas, in his best role since "Poisedon"). With little budget, he decides to recruit predominantly black players, creating a storm along the way. We follow the racial tension his team endures and see them rise to champions.

A great story, but not brought to life that well on the big screen. The main character, Haskins, doesn't actually get heaps of screen time, and we barely get to know any of the characters. The basketball action is OK, if not slightly unrealistic for the era they were playing in. OK for basketball fans with some spare times on their hands.

It's a long and winding road to Glory

[lastliberal · 9/10 · 13 January 2006]

I was discussing affirmative action the other day and encountered the usual argument about those things that happened in our great grandfather's day. Having grown up in the South, I am well aware that many of the things that happened in "my" day are still going on to some extent. I was high enough up the food chain in the military to hear conversations behind closed doors. In the small Arkansas town I grew up in, blacks lived across the tracks and up the hill - they probably still do.

A.O. Scott comments in the New York Times about Glory Road: "Glory Road finds its true story at a point where sports history intersects with the struggle for racial equality. The annals of postwar America are full of such moments, but few of them are as astonishing and consequential as the 1966 N.C.A.A. championship game, in which Don Haskins, coach of the Miners of Texas Western (now known as the University of Texas at El Paso), sent five black players onto the floor against Adolph Rupp's all-white University of Kentucky team." Forget about Josh Lucas, Tatyana Ali, Emily Deschanel, or Jon Voight. They were incidental to the film and could have easily been replaced with others. The story of the Texas Western basketball players in 1966 is what Glory Road is all about.

It happened in 1966. I was a sophomore in High School. I knew no more about Civil Rights or black oppression that the next guy. The only thing I knew for sure was that we used a two-handed set shot, not jumpers or Michael Jordan moves. It's the same criticism that I have of Hoosiers, another great basketball film. It wasn't my great grandfather's day; it was mine. It still is. If you are not moved by this film, then you are part of what was wrong then and what is not corrected to this day. It was about respect and the need for humans to give each other their due and not dwell on stupidity. We were all cut from the same cloth many many generations ago in Africa.

I came to Florida from West Texas and know the area well. Color is not important there when it comes to sports. We've gotten past that. It is time to get past it in other areas of our lives. If Glory Road can help a little bit in that, then it is well worth your time.

Well, it's well worth your time anyway as it is a great movie. As Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post said: It's one helluva story, and if this moving, and even thrilling little movie finally brings Haskins and a truly great American sports story to light, then three cheers and hooray.

Great Story, Mediocre Execution

[Full_Cleveland · 6/10 · 25 June 2006]

I've been a basketball fan since around 1960, and saw the championship game depicted in this film, so I looked forward to this movie with great anticipation. I came away a bit disappointed.

Perhaps if I had not already been so familiar with the story, I might have enjoyed the movie more. But there were so many inaccuracies that I couldn't get into the movie as much as I had hoped. Not only the facts of how the game transpired, but much of the way the game was played, the dialog, and the general feel of the movie just was wrong for era in which it takes place. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the term "Division One" was used at this time; there were just "major" and "small" colleges. Other terms like "stops", and some of the moves such as behind-the-back dribbles, were just out of place.

This movie is like a cover version of an old hit; its for younger people who aren't familiar with the original version. Doesn't make it bad, just disappointing to those who know how it really should be done.

great movie

[risarae2 · 8/10 · 21 January 2006]

I thought this movie was great. I took my son, his friend, and my daughter and they are all under the age of 11. My youngest son was learning about Martin Luther King, Jr in school and he wanted to learn more about segragation. I thought this movie would be great for him to see. He learned so much about teamwork, friends and working toward a goal. I was impressed with the movie. Josh Lucas was great in this film. I recommend it to anyone. The movie did a great job showing the injustice the West Texas basketball team got while they were on the road. It was hard to watch that but it made you come away from the movie thinking more about the world and how we can all be a little nicer to people. I am glad that they made this movie about such a wonderful basketball team.

Good movie for sports minded. Has historic inaccuracies.

[goodknowu · 7/10 · 8 January 2006]

I loved the movie. It's a basketball movie about a small west Texas school that wins the NCAA tournament. The catch is they are all black and play an all white team, Kentucky. The movie depicts the struggle this team has with racism both within and outside the team. It kind of reminds me of "Remember the Titans", "Rudy", "Hoosiers", or "Miracle". David vs. Goliath or underdog does good. As a Kentucky basketball fan, I almost found myself rooting for Texas Western. The movie is based on a true story but there are some liberties taken. The scene that disturbed me the most was during the championship game. Behind the bench, Kentucky fans were waving the Confederate flag. I can assure you this did not happen during the real game in Cole Field House. None of the stars on the flag represent the state of Kentucky as Kentucky was not part of the Confederacy. I realize this is Hollywood and the film makers were trying to emphasize racism in this movie, but their point had already been made repeatedly throughout the movie (especially the scene in the Commerce, Texas motel). This was an unnecessary smear to the University of Kentucky and the state. If not for this, I would rate this movie among the top sports movies made. Other minor errors in the movie include Texas Western coach Don Haskins being hired before the historic '65-'66 season, when in reality he was hired 4 years prior. Also I don't think

the Iowa vs. Texas Western game was televised. All in all it was a good movie that parents could take their sports minded children to.

Excellent

[ast626 · 10/10 · 16 January 2006]

I loved it. It was the best sports movie since Hoosiers! Great actors, and a great story! I got to go the the 95.5 Beat premier in Atlanta. Great premier! Dave C. was great! Josh L. is a cross between Matthew Mccaughney and Kevin Costner. John Voight performance was sub par, but reminds me of his character in Varsity Blues. I recommend this film for the whole family. The movie is based on a true story. During the credits, they interview the real life basketball team. Pat Riley remembers playing them when when was on the University of Kentucky's basketball team. It really hits home. So go grab some popcorn and a coke and enjoy this movie.

Classic sports flick: underdogs triumph and strike a blow against southern racism

[roland-104 · 7/10 · 1 June 2006]

Fine feel good docudrama about the Cinderella team that shocked the collegiate sports world in 1966 by coming from obscure underdog to win the NCAA basketball championship against the legendary Adolph Rupp's heavily favored Kentucky team. The important subtext here is that in building his winning team, Texas Western coach Don Haskins was the first coach in the South to recruit black players.

His team came from inner city ghettos in Detroit, South Bronx, and so on. In the championship game, he fielded a starting lineup that was all black, against Rupp's all white players, a first in college basketball history. Of course, in the north, things had been different for years: Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain had dominated college basketball in the 1950s and led the pro sport in the 60s.

But in the deep south, and Haskins and his players had to endure one hate-filled encounter after another. All of this, plus other problems (players' personalities, health and academic woes), are depicted here. Josh Lucas is splendid as Coach Haskins. Lucas appears to have graduated from the Paul Newman School of Acting. His face in profile is like Newman's, especially the bridge of his nose, but, even more, Lucas's head tilts, confrontive stares and manner of touching his face with his hands are about as Newmanesque as you can get.

But that's all right. Lucas makes these gestures his own in a good turn. With a very old looking Jon Voight as Adolph Rupp. Be sure to stay through the end credits to learn the fates of the players and coaches. This film is a purely formulaic sports success movie, but it is very well done indeed. My grade: low B+ 7.5/10

An all time favorite

[NS-movie-reviews · 10/10 · 20 February 2022]

One of my favorite movies ever. I have seen it no less than 15 times. The grit, triumph, heart, and passion of this movie gets me every time. Josh Lucas is phenomenal but the other cast members really shine. This is one story I'll never get sick of.

it's a very good movie..why not just tell the truth?

[mdatty · 7/10 · 2 July 2006]

It's a good movie. You will like it. It is true that Texas Western was the first team with 5 black starters to win the NCAA BUT.........the Loyola Chicago 1963 Champions had 4 black starters. Came from 10 down in the NCAA title game to beat Cincy........played SEC champion Mississippi State after that team had to fly out at night to avoid a court order grounding the team. This really happened. Where is the courageous story of these men, and their coach, whom I had the pleasure to meet, George Ireland? It doesn't subtract from the entertainment value of Glory Road, but why can't Disney tell the truth about the team, Coach Haskins, and just about everything in the film. They were a great team, and Coach Haskins was legendary as well. The truth was, as many have pointed out, there were none of these close games in the beginning..Coach Haskins did not come from coaching a girl's team to the NCAA Championship in one year. It's a great story just as it really happened. It's a shame that the only recognition Loyola gets is that Texas Western beat them (in a newspaper headline) and seen in the top ten rankings that year. They both deserve credit. So does Mississippi State for their courage in coming to play Loyola. This really happened, and it's a great story. Where is it?

A little historical accuracy would lend credibility.

[Ghenghy · 1/10 · 17 January 2006]

If Don Haskins had not already been on the Texas Western staff for FOUR years before the landmark 65 season, then maybe I would believe there were a hundred people in the stands waving Confederate flags at the championship contest with Kentucky. Well, not really, but you get my point. But, since the producers think they can take liberties with facts, the whole premise of this tale is now re-spun from a "true story" into a story "based on true events." I hate that. I guess that means that all the racism portrayed in the film also was based on true events that occurred "elsewhere?"

A nice "true" story that loses major style points for classic Hollywood remixing of facts, and reinvention of real events. If you are white, this movie is designed to make you feel guilty about the prejudice that once existed in this country that you didn't have anything to do with. If you are black, this movie will in all likelihood inspire you to feel superior about your athletic abilities, and also make you angry and bitter over the portrayal of racism in the deep South during the 60's. I too am angry that I shelled out $9 bucks to see this crap. 2 whistles.