YMMV / Coach Carter

• Award Snub: Samuel L. Jackson was expected to get an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, but it never came to pass.
• Jerkass Woobie: A lot of the players are rude and disrespectful, but most of them come from troubled conditions or think of themselves as the Dumb Muscle.
• One-Scene Wonder: Octavia Spencer as the formidable Mrs. Battle; she gets one big scene where she convinces Ken to let Junior back on the team, and shows she's not blind to her child's flaws when—after Ken's outlined what he needs to do to get back on the team—she leads him outside saying "yes you will..."
• Periphery Demographic: The movie has shirtless teenage guys playing basketball. Many females watched it for this reason.
• Retroactive Recognition:
  • Years before her Oscar win in The Help and her role as Johanna in the Divergent franchise, Octavia Spencer has a small role as Mrs. Battle.
  • Channing Tatum as the Token White on the team.
  • Antwon Tanner as Jaron “Worm” Willis. Whilst he had a minor recurring role on One Tree Hill prior to the film's release, his role became more prominent afterwards, even going do far as becoming a series regular.
• She Really Can Act:
  • Ashanti turns in a surprisingly heartfelt performance as a pregnant teenage girl.
  • While Samuel L. Jackson's acting talents have never been in doubt, he earned a lot of respect for doing something slightly different from his usual routine and establishing his dramatic credentials.
• Tear Jerker: While out with his cousin one night, Cruz witnesses a deal going wrong and his cousin getting shot dead. Who does he go to? Ken. He begs to be allowed back on the team, and you remember that this is just a scared teenager who has just witnessed a family member getting murdered. What's worse is that he knows in the back of his mind that that could've easily been him if he stayed by Renny's side that night.

---