Pride

Starring Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac and Kimberly Elise

Directed by Sunu Gonera

Rated PG

Tiger Woods deserves every bit of adulation that comes his way. The man is amazing with a golf club in his hands. But for every Tiger that roars onto the 18^th green at Augusta National in front of millions, there’s a Cisero Murphy in billiards, a James Stewart of dirt biking and a Rusty White in surfing who go greatly unnoticed by the masses. Blacks not only participate in untraditional sports, many of them excel in them.

With the release of this fact-based tale of a Philadelphia Department of Recreation swim coach, Jim Ellis (Terrence Howard), who wills a group of inner-city kids to a national swimming title in the racially-tense 70s, it seems as if history books have overlooked yet another name. This coach’s Glory Road-reminding story, of course, goes beyond teaching breathing techniques and breaststrokes. As a strong-willed individual who dealt with Jim Crow and crooked pigs, Ellis speaks to the youngsters about life through experience.

During one transcending moment in Pride, this easy-to-like group (relative newcomers Brandon Fobbs, Evan Ross and Regine Nehy stand out) goes to a meet against a rival, all-white academy (comedian Tom Arnold is the team’s ass of a coach). PDR is embarrassed in every way imaginable in the water. But rather than learn from the loss and understand that natural talent and teamwork move in unison, the crew laughs the whole ride home. Ellis and janitor/assistant coach Elston (a subdued, scene-stealing Bernie Mac) aren’t amused and they let them know it. The next morning the teens show up to practice and prove to their coach that they’ve learned their lesson overnight. Howard and Bernie get choked up. Audiences will reach for their Kleenex.

Just from looking at previews of this Sunu Gonera-directed film, you knew there were going to be moments of despair and repair like that. In respect to constant tugs at the heartstring, this Speedo-wearing Coach Carter doesn’t disappoint. Then again, neither does Terrence Howard in letting such predictable fare -Pride’s got the typical drug dealer (Gary Anthony Sturgis) who wants the kids to stay in the streets and the hard-nosed parental unit (Kimberly Elise, emotion-filled as ever) who wants the kids to stay in the books- ever get soaked in sappiness or contrivance. Terrence Howard can act, plain and simple.

In less-capable hands, this would’ve been nothing more than a feel-good bit of Hallmark Channel programming. But with Howard, Mac and Elise anchoring the acting team, not to mention Pride’s uplifting, nearly-forgotten sports story foundation, the film somehow rises from the pool of clichéd, odds-defying cinema as something much, much more. (B-)