Believe in Me (2006)

In a conservative small town, a young man's wish to coach high school basketball are tweaked by a school board decision that makes him the new coach of the girls' team.

Director:

Robert Collector

Writers:

Robert Collector (screenplay), Harold Keith (book)

Stars:

Jeffrey Donovan, Samantha Mathis, Doris Hargrave

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeffrey Donovan	...	Clay Driscoll
Samantha Mathis	...	Jean Driscoll
Doris Hargrave	...	Miss Rogers
Bruce Dern	...	Ellis Brawley
Bob Gunton	...	Hugh Moreland
Michele Nordin	...	Helen Burnsides
Jamie Dickerson	...	Liz Blair
Hailey Grimes	...	Susan Grove
Anne Judson-Yager	...	Ginger Selman
Alicia Lagano	...	Frances Bonner
Heather Matarazzo	...	Cindy Butts
Marta Cross	...	Sadie York (as Marta McGonagle)
Kerbey Smith	...	Portia Stovall
Jennifer Strebeck	...	Wanda
Chloe Russell	...	Joyce

Storyline

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

coach | small town | high school | basketball | basketball movie | 

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Taglines:

Never let them tell you what you can't do.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild thematic elements and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many of the towns in the movie, including the town of Middleton, are made up but based on actual towns. The town of Middleton is based on the western-Oklahoma town of Sayre. The towns of Okeene, Byng, and Lawton are real, while the towns of Dellaplaine, Medfield, and Placerita are made-up.

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Goofs

Girls did not play full-court basketball at that time in history: girls' basketball in Oklahoma was a half-court, 3-on-3 game until the mid 1980's.

User Reviews

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 February 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Believe in Me

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$81,569, 11 March 2007

Gross USA:

$209,654

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$209,654

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1