Unlike the MPAA we do not assign
one
inscrutable rating based on age, but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE
and PROFANITY on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest,
depending on quantity and context.
Josh Lucas stars as Hall of Fame basketball coach Don Haskins who made his mark in 1965 by recruiting African-American young men for his college team and then going on to win the NCAA Championships. Based on a true story. Also with Derek Luke, Austin Nichols, Evan Jones and Emily Deschanel. Directed by James Gartner. [1:58]
SEX/NUDITY 3 - A woman sleeps (her bare shoulders are visible) and her husband stands near the bed admiring her. We see a newsreel clip depicting several subjects, including one of a woman wearing a bikini top that reveals cleavage. A young man comes out of a dormitory shower with a towel wrapped around his waist and a woman passes him in the hallway. A young man hangs posters of a scantily clad woman on his wall (her bare back, shoulders and legs are visible) and another young man looks at them. A man stands on the street in his underwear (boxers and tank shirt) after several young men take his clothes. Several young men are shown bare-chested while playing and practicing basketball, and several young men are shown bare-chested in several locker room scenes.
A husband and wife kiss and a husband and wife hug. Young men and young women dance together in a nightclub. A young man flirts with a young woman. ► Several young men talk about going to meet girls and they go to a nightclub. A young man talks about "entertaining a lady friend in his room." ► An infant is bathed and when he is lifted out of the sink we see his bare buttock and legs and chest.
the review continues below...
VIOLENCE/GORE 4 - Two Caucasian men punch and beat a young African-American man in a public restroom, and then push his head into a toilet (his face is bloody when he comes out of the bathroom). ► During a basketball game, one player knocks another down by sticking his knee out. A young man is knocked to the floor and gets up with a bloody nose. A young man falls to his knee n the basketball court and seems to be short of breath (we hear that he has an enlarged heart). A team of young men is told to run "suicides" for punishment in a few scenes. ► Two young men shove each other while playing basketball. Several young men shove each other and fight in a school cafeteria. A young man shoves another young man against a wall, yells at him and forces him to sleep on the floor in a hallway. A young boy is hit in the face with a basketball and he cries. ► A man yells at a young man and kicks him off of a basketball team. A young man talks about being afraid of being lynched if he goes to Texas. ► A girls' basketball team tries to pick their coach up onto their shoulders but they drop him onto the floor. People in stands throw things (drinks, wrappers, food) at basketball players as they enter a game. ► A young African-American man talks about being so afraid when he was attacked by a group of Caucasian boys that he urinated in his pants. A man eats the worm from the bottom of a tequila bottle.
PROFANITY 4 - 3 scatological terms, 4 anatomical terms, 4 mild obscenities, 31 derogatory term for African-Americans, 5 derogatory terms for Caucasians, name-calling (midget, big toothed). [profanity glossary]
SUBSTANCE USE - People are shown drinking alcohol in a nightclub, and one man eats the worm from the bottom of a tequila bottle. A young man and a young woman drink wine together, people are shown drinking beer at a pool hall and several young men are shown drinking beer.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Racism, discrimination, Martin Luther King, racial attitudes in the South, lynching, dreams, skill, desire, strength, pride, Muslims, minorities, dignity, intelligence, insecurity, faith, winning, losing, academic achievement vs. athletic achievement, respect, leadership, hatred.
MESSAGE - Seeing color can only blind you from seeing the true worth and talent of individuals.
(Note: There are several remarks made about African-Americans not having the intelligence to succeed at basketball and referring to them as "the other ones." Words are painted on the wall of a hotel room that include racial slurs and the letters "KKK.")
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