JinRoz
For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!
PiraBit
if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
ActuallyGlimmer
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
Juana
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
Sam-285
This story is too negative. It starts nice but later on the coach yells too much. My guess is that the real-life coach did not yell as much.I especially doubt that the real-life coach got so upset about words.The movie leads people to believe that yelling is a good way to get people to succeed.Many people won't understand that there are better ways to get success, but I am sure that the real coach understands.I hope that someone some day makes a better version of the story that shows more of the caring that created the successful team.I am now curious about the documentaries to see their version of the story.
thegort
This fine film has been shown on Showtime and has finally been released on DVD. The previous documentary on the subject, Rocks With Wings, is not available on video or DVD, to my knowledge. If you enjoyed Eyre's Smoke Signals, you will likely love this one. Great characters, a lovely story, much humor, and some pathos are present with a large dose of Navajo wisdom and custom. A highlight was Coach's realization of the irony of being called "white man", a highly derogatory term, when he was behaving badly. The acting was consistently fine from both the professionals and the young amateurs. The director's deft touch had us constantly on the verge of tears and laughter. Highly recommended.
aaaacme
Another viewer wrote: "Killer premise: Black male teacher is recruited suddenly to teach English at an Indian reservation high school and takes over as coach of the hapless girls basketball team." Actually, it wasn't an original premise at all, but a true story.Just enough details were changed by the producers to avoid having to pay for the rights to the life of coach Jerry Richardson and the young women of the Shiprock, New Mexico Lady Chieftains high school basketball team. An award-winning documentary ("Rocks With Wings") about Coach Richardson, the team, and their profound influence upon life on the Navajo Reservation had already played across the country and aired on PBS before Chris Eyre and Willy Holtzman attempted their awkward adaptation-- "Rocks With Wings" tells the same story, but with far greater insight and subtlety, as well as a few more plot twists. I would recommend that documentary over "Edge of America" to anyone interested in this story.
miltlee
Chris Eyre has done a wonderful job of presenting Indian life in America today. The reality of the reservation was presented in a wonderful way - not as victims or heros but as real people just trying to live their lives.I especially liked the fact that this movie avoided typical Pan Indian Images that plague so much of what is presented in the media about Native Americans and their culture.Bravo!
