SYNOPSICS
Believe in Me (2006) is a English movie. Robert Collector has directed this movie. Jeffrey Donovan,Samantha Mathis,Doris Hargrave,Bruce Dern are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2006. Believe in Me (2006) is considered one of the best Drama,Sport movie in India and around the world.
Girls? The thought of coaching them seems preposterous to Clay Driscoll (earnest newcomer Jeffrey Donovan), who travels to Middleton, Okla., in the 1960s prepared to coach the varsity boys' team. But that position is filled, so he's forced to coach the girls' team -- the Lady Cyclones. Faced with an under-performing crew of untrained players, the coach begins to treat the girls like boys. They run laps in a closed gym and practice shots and plays they've never tried before -- and eventually their "old-fashioned grit" leads them to a Cinderella season culminating with the state championships. Along their way, Driscoll and the girls overcome several obstacles, most of all, gaining a fan base. Meanwhile, big man in town Ellis Brawley (Bruce Dern) can't stand Driscoll and his newfangled idea of empowering female athletes. Of course, the Lady Cyclones are up to the task of proving Brawley wrong. Driven by their caring young coach, the girls determine to play as hard as the boys, even ...
Believe in Me (2006) Trailers
Believe in Me (2006) Reviews
charming, uplifting
I just saw a screening of this independent film at the Santa Barbara film festival. The screenplay is an adaptation of a novel written for juveniles, Brief Garland, by Harold Keith, which was first published in 1974. The film focuses on the character of the coach of a girls' basketball team in a small town in western Oklahoma during his first years at the school in 1964-66. He arrives to coach the boys team, but is maneuvered into the coaching job for the girls. Over the course of the film, he learns how to coach the girls, and helps develop a competitive team at a school where girls' basketball had never been supported before. I watched the film with particular interest because I played high school basketball in 1964-68 in Tennessee, where, as in Oklahoma, we played the six-on-six half-court game that most girls played until after Title IX was passed in 1972. I was disappointed to see that the girls in the film played the full-court five-on-five game, which is slower, messier, and lower-scoring than the half-court game we played. By playing with fewer players, the court was less crowded, and girls had more freedom to drive to the basket. Since defenders made long passes to move the ball upcourt to the offensive team, the speed from end to end was actually faster than the boys' game!! Had the film's auteur truly appreciated the game that the heroines of the film actually played in the sixties, he may have created an even more exciting film, with less forced editing to simulate speed and grace. I know, I know, you don't believe me. Oh well . . . .
Great Movie
I just saw this movie at the Jackson Hole Film Festival and I was impressed for the quality of the photography, the story and the acting. The storyline is very simple: in the 60's a young basketball coach moves to small town Oklahoma to coach the male team of the local high school but he's rerouted instead to the female team. He's totally against it but he has no choice, while he gains the respect and support of the girls, the town folks take a dislike for him because of his methods and because in their mind a girls team is not worth of interest. Through a series of victories, for the team and for the girls, he will make his basketball team a well respected one in town and among the competing high schools. I hope they will find a good distributor for this movie; this would be the feel-good movie of the year. Plus I met Robert (the Director) on several occasions during the festival and he's such a nice and heartwarming guy, I wish him much success (Hey Robert, I'm the one who drove you to the Casino Night from the Amangani ;-) ). One thing... I'm surprised that on IMDb men liked this movie more than women, very strange.
One of the better "based on a true story" sport movie
This is a great family movie and a great movie for teachers to see. It especially hits home for teachers, who are of course, coaches, but also those classroom teachers who have the same relational interactions as coaches like choir teachers (me), band directors, and the like. The casting was excellent. I did not feel that I was watching actors, but actual people. Bruce Dern did his role so well, you really despised him. (I didn't realize he was THAT old already. I guess I'M that old already!) The girls were believable, the coach was well acted, the wife was a natural pairing for him--all very good acting. I, like you, can't stand cheesy "docudramas." You will want to watch the "making of" special features. You will have a pleasant surprise about the winning shot in the movie. I highly, highly, recommend this movie. I have been encouraging my colleagues and all my students to rent it.
An empowering film for both women and men
I waited until my husband was out of town to watch this, because I didn't think he'd be into it. I wish he'd seen it with me, because this story is a story for everybody. The main character, Clay Driscoll, is genuine to the core. He exhibits the kind of traits that I want my son to grow up to possess. Despite being given a basketball team that he didn't want to coach, he sticks to his responsibility and gives it his all. It's a story of his discovering his own mettle and strength, and discovering what he really wants. But the basketball team he coaches...those are girls after your heart! I cried with a sense of triumph during this movie and took a shine to Clay's wife, who encouraged and supported her husband throughout all the trials of the journey with his team. I highly recommend this movie--especially for a family or a youth group or if a teacher wants to show a movie at school. It is well done and powerful. I wish more movies were of this quality.
Believe in Me (Brief Garland) reaches to the heart of every female athlete.
This is an excellent book/video that should be seen by every athlete, girl or boy, and those who coach them. The movie is full of action, yet tasteful enough that you can show it to young people. I visited with the actual coach of this team and he unsuccessfully fought to keep the six-on-six style of play in the movie. He requested to keep the book name and the movie name the same but that was nixed, also. I agree that for those of us who played this way, it was disappointing to watch the girls play five on five. I graduated in 1977 from a school about 30 miles from Sayre, where Coach wrote the story about. The movie is full of action, yet tasteful enough that you can show it to young people. Basketball ROCKS in southwest OKLAHOMA!!!!!