Synopsis:

40 years ago, Don Haskins went on the recruiting trail to find the best talent in the land, black or white. 7 blacks and 5 whites made up the legendary 1965-66 Texas Western Miners. They were mocked and ridiculed for their showboating and flaunting of black players on the court. Yet, in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, Haskins and his Miners came together as a team united to reach the National Championship game against powerhouse Kentucky.

Brian's Rating: B : Ever since Hoosiers, I have been partial to movies about the success of an underdog in sports.  The idea is not new and is recycled at least once a year.  Once in awhile, the story is based on true events, and that only helps make it more interesting.

Glory Road is one such movie, and is one of the better ones.  Nothing makes it a great movie, but it was well done, and entertaining.  Josh Lucas does a good job portraying Don Haskins, the head coach.  Mixed into the whole Cinderella story is a bit of a look into discrimination in the late 60's as it pertains to black athletes.

The basketball footage in the film is lame.  It is quite evident that the actors had very little ability with the game, and after constantly cutting the camera away to cover up the ineptitude, it got a little annoying.

I would recommend it, but it is not quite on par with Hoosiers.

The Freak's Rating: D+ : The Gene Hackman masterpiece shouldn't be mentioned on the same review page as this one, therefore I will refer to it from this point on as Indiana Flick.  Indiana Flick was an amazing piece of sports cinema.  Perfectly capturing a small town mood with great acting from primary characters and dialogue that fit the period.  In addition, Indiana Flick had an albeit cheesy at times, wonderful musical score that I still hum every now and then. 

 When I went to the NCAA Final Four a few years back, my uncle and I were lucky enough to meet the remainder of the Texas Miners.  They were nice men and a notable historical footnote to a monumental achievement in college sports.  However, that doesn't make this movie any more tolerable.

Glory Road hosts mediocre performances by Josh Lucas and a gang of unknowns.  Overacting is performed by nearly all involved and the storyline doesn't even hint at what could happen, it only reveals to all who aren't blind within the first minute of the film where it is going and then takes a B line straight there.  Historical inaccuracies abound, including a portrayal by Jon Voigt that simply needs to be erased from my memory, along with his turns in the National Treasure franchise.  As far as I'm concerned, the man finished his career with Midnight Cowboy.

Glory Road just doesn't earn the heart that sports movies require to be effective.  Take a look at the best sports drama to ever be on television, Friday Night Lights.  This show tugs at heartstrings each and every week, and you honestly care about the people involved.  Glory Road producers and Disney should take notice for next time.

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