When Bobby Selkin, an upper-middle-class, Jewish, white guy, takes on coaching a bunch of mostly black high school students in the south in - of all sports - lacrosse, it's not just about sports but about the lives and future of the kids. The success of the team, filled with players who two years earlier could not have identified a lacrosse stick, is a key part of the story, but not nearly the whole story.
Yes, we have seen several similar movies before, both documentaries (e.g., Hoop Dreams) and fictional features (e.g., Remember the Titans). But rarely have we seen a coach so committed to the success of his students, both on and off the fiel , and students so committed to a coach. Selkin is so dedicated to his students that they hang out at his house, study with him, and in a couple of instances live with him. His complete commitment to his kids - and theirs to him - is genuine, moving, and for some of his players truly transformative. When the words "I love you" are spoken, the speakers really mean it.
This is a feel-good movie with little real internal drama. Unfortunately, there was no mention about Selkin's "other life," which includes his job and his relationship to his own children. We saw it at a film festival where Selkin, his wife (who's also featured) and one of his former students spoke. I won't give away what they said, but suffice it to say that "feel good" can be good enough, particularly in these times, if the story is told honestly.
