On its surface, Coach was a film that almost begged me to rip it apart. From its goofy front cover to its tagline, “You can’t score without taking a shot,” I was checking to make sure I had enough alcohol in my apartment to make it through this movie. After having watched Coach, all I can say is that I was wrong about this movie. No one involved in this movie is likely to win any awards, but their target audience of teen girl sleepovers will enjoy this bit of lighthearted romantic entertainment.
Nick (Hugh Dancy) is unemployed and living off of the money his father willed to him. His upwardly mobile girlfriend Zoe (Gillian Jacobs) is fed up with his unmotivated lifestyle of playing soccer and going out for drinks with his friends, and before she flies out to California for a job opportunity, she suggests that they should take a break. Nick decides to get a job as a soccer coach in order to win back Zoe. Along the way, he mentors a talented young player Hector (Jonathan Gutierrez) and falls in love with a beautiful surgeon Gabrielle (Liane Balaban, Dustin Hoffman’s daughter from Last Chance Harvey). Nick makes some mistakes, realizes his own immaturity, discovers a passion for teaching kids how to play soccer, and takes some major steps towards finally growing up.
Most of the storyline is fairly predictable, and all the subplots tie up neatly by the end of the movie. What I enjoyed about the movie was the relationship between Nick and his team. The kids come to him with problems ranging from crushes on their teammates to money problems at home and sexual confusion. He talks the kids through their problems with a balance of kindness and humor, and I could understand why the team is loyal to Nick when he is fired.
Another enjoyable part of the film is Nick’s group of friends. After seeing Zoe and then seeing his friends, I could understand why he would rather spend time out drinking with them rather than at home with her. Stella (Mamie Gummer) is the caring older-sister type, Michael (Michael Chernus) is the awkward perpetually single friend who invites Nick to his singles mixers, and Andy (Benjamin Walker) is the friend who occupies his baby with a rattle while discussing hot soccer moms with Nick. All of the actors had natural chemistry together, and I would have liked to go out with them for a few drinks and good conversation.
Although this film is marketed as a romance, Nick’s mentoring relationship with Hector is the biggest part of the story. Nick sees Hector’s potential as a soccer player, but his first priority is teaching Hector to be a friend and a team player. When Hector’s dad injures himself on the job, Hector is forced to quit the team and find a job to support his family. Eager to help, Nick hires Hector as his assistant coach against Hector’s father’s wishes, and Nick tells Hector not to tell his father so that he can stay on the team. When Hector’s father finds out, no one, including his friends, cuts Nick any slack, and the fall-out is the best learning experience for Nick. Nick fixes his mistakes, and predictably, Hector is back on the field playing soccer before the end credits roll.
DVD Bonus Features
The special features on the DVD are sparse with only trailers for other films from Lionsgate including From Paris With Love, The Good Guy, Ball & Chain, Man About Town, Taking Chances, Still Waiting, the Epix HD movie channel, and Break.com, a viral video website which seems to mainly feature people crashing bikes, setting themselves on fire, or getting hit in the crotch. I don’t think that it would have been too difficult to include a making-of featurette, a commentary track, or even the theatrical trailer of the film, but the Coach DVD is inexplicably missing any of the usual special features.
"Coach" is on sale June 8, 2010 and is rated PG13. Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sports. Directed by Will Frears. Written by Will Frears, Jason Pugatch, . Starring Hugh Dancy, Liane Balaban.
