Solemplex
To me, this movie is perfection.
Calum Hutton
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
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.
jotix100
This film came out of nowhere the other night when it showed on cable. The movie directed by Chris Eyre and written by William Holtzman, is one of the most uplifting stories about how a teacher that cares to get involved makes all the difference in the world of the young basket ball team.It's obvious the women's basket ball team of the Three Nations high sucks big time; they play badly and are not coordinated at all. The new black teacher, Kenny Wwilliams, who comes to the school to teach, realizes the young women show potential. Basically, these kids show little self esteem and insecurity in the basket ball court. Kenny, in trying to help the girls, steps into a lot of toes, making him a not well liked figure in the school.All that changes when he gets Baby, a girl that is not attending the school, but who has potential, to join the team. Carla, the rebel girl who lives with her alcoholic father, comes around to join the others in a sport where she obviously excels. The high school goes from being a joke into the state finals thanks to what the coach Williams does for the team.The film is inspirational and has a positive message. In fact, this is one of the best sports films ever made. The movie works because of the great performance by James McDaniel, who as Kenny Williams is the spark that ignites the teen agers to realize their potential. Tim Daly makes a appearance as Carla's father. Delanna Studi plays the rebel Carla with conviction."Edge of America", which is based on a true story shows how one person can turn around a bunch of losers into winners by making them believe in themselves.
goldiggr
This was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. I hope to be able to see this movie again and again. It is worth watching more than once. The moral to this story, more people need to see. Thank you to all the people involved in making this movie. I think the choice of actors made this movie about as real as if you were a part of the movie. This is one movie I'll be recommending to everyone. It is not a sports movie but a movie about REAL life. No matter where a person goes in this Edge of America at some point all of us become a minority and we all need to learn we can make this world a better place working together. This is what the movie is teaching us.
scott-551
An above-average TV movie that avoids the pitfalls of cliche.This movie began airing as "On The Edge" on the Dutch Hallmark Channel in December 2003. It's a solid piece of work on all levels, well above average for family-oriented TV movies. James McDaniel performs with typical power as Kenny Williams, a racially aggrieved black schoolteacher and basketball coach who has relocated from his home in Texas to the Three Nations Reservation in Utah. There the coach takes over the hapless girls' basketball team. Predictable culture clashes, high-school social conflicts, family tensions, and athletic drama unfold from there. But the story remains relatively spare, relying on believable characterization rather than its timeworn plot elements to carry the film. Williams' struggle to adapt to, and find acceptance in, his new community dominates the story. At one point, not long after a parent from a nearby white high school has all but called Williams a "nigger," the mother of a girl on the team dismisses him as a "white man."It's surprisingly compelling material, but it means that the Native American community drops into the background despite the able performances of a large cast. This is a movie about a black coach in a Native American community, not a movie about a Native American community with a black coach. The latter would have been a more compelling story. The very similar "Stand And Deliver" devotes more attention to the students in the story and is a better movie for it.The movie is beautifully shot. Interior scenes convey a feeling of authenticity with their lived-in-ness, and the exterior shots do justice to the majestic landscapes of the American West. Also, the soundtrack features several new recordings by singer/ songwriter Annie Humphrey. "Edge of America" and "Good Medicine" might be her best work to date.Thankfully, the new coach is not able to turn his team into state champions overnight with a motivational speech at the end of the first act. Instead, we see Williams repeatedly making mistakes and struggling to learn from them for the sake of his own pride and the team's progress. His relationship with the girls on the team is complicated by their appreciation of his efforts and their frustration at his shortcomings. The story concludes with a satisfyingly low-key scene of homecoming for the team and their coach that steers clear of either the triumphalism or mawkish melodrama that mar most sports dramas.
