Dynamixor
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
KnotStronger
This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.
Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
luvnbusiness
I am an alumnae of TSU and I was looking forward to seeing this movie. There was a buzz about it, then nothing. I was so happy to find it on Netflix tonight and couldn't wait to view it. I never heard of Coach Starks even though I attended the school during the late 1990s. I enjoyed the film for what it was, but I thought it would be...more. More epic, more real, more dramatic. I think more time was needed to really develop the story and characters, but the acting was solid. I almost cried when I saw Michael Clark Duncan! Also, I would have loved to see our beautiful campus and some shots of Nashville. Overall, it was a good movie. It just didn't live up to my expectations.
Tony Heck
"We are all, all of us, including me somebody else's table scraps." Tennessee State University is having a problem with their sports programs. In order to save money they decide to drop the baseball team and add two smaller programs. One of the new programs they add is a men's golf team. The biggest problem they have is that no one wants to coach. The AD recruits swim team coach Catana Starks (Henson) since she has experience playing. She is very excited at the opportunity but when she is told she will receive no scholarships, funding or any help at all she decides to make her own rules. I love sports movies and especially the true ones like this. Like many sports movies this one focuses on the personal stories rather then the sport itself. That's what makes them so great. Unlike other sports movies though this one has a huge focus on the coach's life rather then how she helps the team come together. There are a few cheesy parts in this but for the most part the movie is very inspiring. There really isn't a big motivational speech like many sports movies have but what it does have are little lines that have the same power and inspiration as the long speeches usually given. The characters are great and are really likable. I really did enjoy this and I recommend this but it is not at the same level as Remember The Titans or movies like that. Overall, a very good and inspiring true story that I recommend. Even though there are a few cheesy parts it never comes off as being overly cheesy and laughable. I give this a B+.
dmwygal
The film From The Rough is one of the best movies I've seen all year. It is a touching, sports drama based on a true story about Catana Starks,the first black woman ever to coach a college men's golf team. Acting performances from Taraji Henson and Henry Simmons are terrific. So is the screenplay which is very inspirational, and at the appropriate times very funny as we watch the coach try to build Tennessee State University's first golf team. With intense dedication and guts, this coach has to shape up a motley crew of young golfers she recruits from all over the world. She achieves great success, pushing past boundaries. It is the type of uplifting film you want to see over and over again.
Mal7669
Inspirational film for all ages whose cast play to their characters. The screen play was well-written and executed. The cinematography beautiful. Lovely film filled with hardship punctuated by laughter- a definite feel-good movie! The storyline of "From the Rough" is universally appealing.. good triumphs over evil, humility rules as the bad boss learns to appreciate the value of his staff, a team learns it must rely on each other, a coach learns there is more than hard work to developing a top flight group of individualists into a cohesive team, and finally, the definition of minority is taken to task in the PGA's eyes. But truly is about love; love of the family, love of self, love of the team and love of the sport.
