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Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, Kimberly Elise, Tom Arnold, Brandon Fobbs ... see more see more... , Alphonso McAuley , Regine Nehy , Nate Parker , Kevin L. Phillips , Scott Reeves , Evan Ross , Gary Sturgis

A college-educated African-American schoolteacher frustrated by his inability to find a job repairs an abandoned recreational pool hall in hopes of starting Philadelphia's first African-American swim ... read more read more...team in this inspirational drama that takes its cue from the true-life story of charismatic 1970s-era schoolteacher Jim Ellis. The year is 1973 and the job market is tight. Jim Ellis (Terrence Howard) may have a college diploma, but despite his education he still can't seem to find a job. An aspiring teacher with a lifelong love of competitive swimming, Ellis determines to take his future into his own hands when he discovers a deserted recreational pool hall in the slums of the city. Though he and kindly local janitor Elston (Bernie Mac) do their best to get the crumbling pool hall in working order, the pair find their benevolent efforts thwarted when the building is targeted for demolition. Little do the forces that be know that Jim isn't a man to quietly lie down and admit defeat; despite the racism, violence, and threats made by an unsympathetic city official that all threaten to destroy his vivid new dream, the man who was once without purpose boldly resolves to recruit troubled street teens and transform them into capable swimmers in time for the upcoming state championships. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

73% liked it

103,011 ratings

Critics

45% liked it

108 critics

PG, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: Sunu Gonera

Release Date: March 14, 2007

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DVD Release Date: June 26, 2007

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Stats: 3,355 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (3,355)

  • itsjustme2004
    April 18, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    I really like Terrence Howard, and this movie was pretty good. Despite being super-sweet (to the point of saccharine), and being emotionally heavy-handed, I still had tears well in my eyes from time to time. While not overtly racist, this film was subtly racist. In the entire fil... read morem there was only one positive white character, and he was only shown briefly at the beginning. Many of the white characters were blatantly, and ridiculously evil. BUT..I understood the meaning of the movie, and I did enjoy it.
  • jamers2011
    March 4, 2011
    jamers2011
    I really liked this film alot. It's simple, very formulaic, but it is also very touching. Terrence Howard gives a very good performance. I'd recommend this film to anyone.
  • rezpatriot
    June 22, 2008
    rezpatriot
    Swim films make good pick me up films with a very sporting motif underlying the movie pitch. Slightly let down in the fact that it was about this, haha, but still 4 stars for being good.
  • dunmyer
    August 16, 2007
    dunmyer
    [size=3]"Pride" is one of those simple, conventional but uplifting movies about at-risk youth defying the odds and learning to believe in themselves.[/size]

    [size=3][img]http://www.getoutaz.com/story/images/photos/bklmsvkd.jpg[/img][/size]

    [size=3]The film is set in 1974 Phil... read moreadelphia in the heart of what is often called the "inner city." [I, by the way, live in the "inner city" -- Washington Heights, NYC -- aka "the ghetto."] The neighborhood is falling down around the people who can't afford to leave. Destitution and drugs are everywhere. It's a struggle for teenagers to escape the clutches of the local drug lords, who are the only people offering well-paying jobs.[/size]

    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1165269/photo_05.jpg[/img]

    [size=3]As usual in this genre, there's a saintly adult who teaches the kids to dream big, and as usual there's some kind of hobby in which they immerse themselves. In this case it's something that is especially counter to the inner-city lifestyle: swimming. There are few sports as white as swimming.[/size]

    [size=3]The role of the encouraging adult is here played by [b]Terrence Howard[/b], the man who gave "Hustle & Flow" and "Crash" such remarkable soul. Unfortunately Howard here stays on the straight and narrow. He stays tightly within the conventions of this genre.[/size]

    [size=3]The same goes for [b]Bernie Mac[/b], who acts against type by not cracking jokes but who also stays firmly within the conventions. I'm disappointed that first-time director [b]Sunu Gonera [/b]kept his actors in such check. This is not an auspicious directorial debut.[/size]

    [size=3]Along with the story of the teenagers, there is the saga of the local Recreation Center, which was allowed to fall apart just like everything else in the neighborhood. As the kids are building their swimming skills, they're also working to breathe new life into the downtown Rec Center, hoping that the city will start funding it again. I'll let you guess as to whether they succeed.[/size]

    [img]http://www.getoutaz.com/story/images/photos/l5gogc0r.jpg[/img]

    [size=3]What would have been great is more complex story-writing about the Howard and Mac characters. All we get here is that their lives were hemmed in by racism. Of course that should be part of the story, but it's just about all we learn about these men. The same goes for the boys in the story. We never really get into these boys' hearts. Lord knows that black kids aren't only faced with battles against racists and drug lords. There's a lot more going on in the ghetto than that.[/size]

    [size=3]But as predictable and platitudinous as the story was, I was still moved. I cried during the film a number of times. You'd have to be made of stone not to. I still enjoy seeing movies about Black and Latin kids resisting the forces that be. And it's also still important to nurture filmmaking about Black experiences, even when the output isn't stellar. Ghetto kids who see this film will be moved; there's no doubt about it. That's worth a lot more than an artistic masterpiece, at least on certain levels.[/size]

    [img]http://www.austinchronicle.com/binary/4896/Pride.jpg[/img]
  • fb619846742
    July 2, 2007
    fb619846742
    From what I saw of it, totally cliched and very familiar, no originality at all.
  • Fascade518
    July 8, 2007
    Fascade518
    It was a heart warming story of a community center on the way out of business. Time framed in the seventies based upon a true story, this movie will compel you to sit and watch until it is finished. Soul stirring performances Terrence Dashon Howard and Bernie Mack....fighting aga... read moreinst the odds to save a community center and a community, this was an enjoyable film.
  • lesleyanorton
    July 15, 2009
    lesleyanorton
    I love swimming movies, even though actors can't swim for toffee. Plus this ones got Terrence Howard in it, hurray,
    Though Terrence Howards in everything
  • fb1025970122
    September 24, 2007
    fb1025970122
    No its not the most original story anymore after both titans and Glory Road, but with these sports movies its all about the genuine heart the actors must relay into the determination they are required to have to overcome the obstacles. In this racial story line Terrance Howard is... read more such a terrific actor its easy to ignore the familiar struggles and become engulfed in the fight for what these characters want to achieve and what they need to be happy.
  • wbgoose13
    March 1, 2007
    wbgoose13
    Fine but familiar.
  • sayers1977
    October 26, 2010
    sayers1977
    Another late night find, this is a 'type' of film that we've seen many times before but it is still very entertaining and Terence Howard and Bernie Mac are great. Maybe because I used to be a swimmer I enjoyed this more than most but the film worked for me. Perhaps it could have ... read moredone with a bit more grit but these Hollywood true story films always leave a bit of a sweet taste behind. Pretty good though.

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Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper
March 26, 2007
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

Director Sunu Gonera does a nice job with the swim meet scenes, and the cast of mostly unknown younger actors is extremely likable.

Claudia Puig
March 23, 2007
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Pride is a fairly predictable entry in the highly predictable inspirational sports drama genre. But the movie is saved by the earnest, believable performance of Terrence Howard and by Bernie Mac in a ... Full Review

Geoff Pevere
March 23, 2007
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

It really has nothing to be proud of but a central performance much better than the movie itself deserves. It's time for Terrence Howard to appear in a movie that rises to his level. Full Review

Ruthe Stein
March 23, 2007
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

That Pride ultimately gets to you is more of a surprise than the outcome because it's not very well-constructed. Full Review

James Berardinelli
March 23, 2007
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Despite the stale odor of the broth, lack of originality isn't Pride's stumbling point -- it's that the familiar story is not well presented. Full Review

Steven Rea
March 23, 2007
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A generic against-the-odds underdog sports drama. Full Review

Jan Stuart
March 23, 2007
Jan Stuart, Newsday

It is a testament to the robotic constraints of Pride that even Terrence Howard sinks in the service of formula. Full Review

Lisa Rose
March 23, 2007
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger

The dialogue and plot may be cliché, but Howard's slow-burn portrayal redeems the weak writing. Full Review

Kyle Smith
March 23, 2007
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Howard's character declares that "the world isn't black and white." The world, no, but the movie, yes. Full Review

Elizabeth Weitzman
March 23, 2007
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

There is not a single moment in Sunu Gonera's Pride that you haven't already seen, or that you can't predict. Full Review

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