Nearly every performance
was unparalleled, and Terrence Howard once again delivers a stirring
and emotional presentation. Working closely with the real Jim Ellis,
his portrayal is heartfelt and accurate and another admirable role
alongside his Oscar-nominated turn in “Crash”. Even
Bernie Mac, who can best be appreciated in very small doses, fits
perfectly in the role of Elston. He manages to appropriately mix
occasional comic relief with a warm-hearted character that provides
a sort of glue between Ellis and the kids. And of course the swimmers
themselves are all exceptional and realistic as street-wise kids
who slowly realize the importance of achieving their goals and working
as a team. Handpicked by director Sunu Gonera, they all had to go
through boot camp training and learn how to swim…not just
well, but perfectly. All the swimmers had to learn to compete at
the level of professionals, and during filming were pitted against
actual professional swimmers who portrayed the rival student teams.
Gonera was fortunate enough to get every actor he wanted as his
first choice, and therefore elicited top-notch performances from
everyone.
“Pride” is a classic example of an inspirational
biopic and its uplifting themes and ideals are easy to relate
to and a mass audience appeal. Nearly all of the events depicted
in the film are based on events that actually happened to Ellis.
From the drug-dealing pimp (played by Gary Sturgis) to the first
girl trying to break into the sport (Regine Nehy as Willie), the
realism of the film is compounded by the depictions of these diverse
characters. Two of the young actors on the team were cast even
though they couldn’t swim, but after extensive training,
the group acts as a team as much in real life as they did on the
set. The film is a huge project for first-time director Gonera,
but he has been training for it all his life. From directing commercials,
acting, and making a Cannes official selection short film, Sunu’s
entire life has been practice for his dreams of directing feature
films.
Have we seen this all before? With films like “Coach Carter”,
“Invincible”, “Remember the Titans” and
others all in recent memory, the answer is yes. The story is essentially
the same, with different characters and a different sport. But
these kinds of films haven’t lost any of their luster, and
continue to be fresh and exciting. As long as they are made with
the same level of enthusiasm and personal involvement that directors
like Sunu Gonera have exerted, these movies will continue to seduce
audiences and are guaranteed to entertain.
- Mike Massie
