Pride wades into the shallows when it ought to be diving into the deep end. In waters this familiar, everyone knows how to swim.
Comment
03/23/07
Rate this Movie 
Pride (2007)
46
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:104
Fresh:48
Rotten:56
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: Pride features a typically stellar performance from Terrence Howard, but ultimately falls victim to its over usage of sports movie clichés.
Theatrical Release:Mar 23, 2007 Wide
Box Office: $7,036,608
Synopsis: Based on true events, Lionsgate's PRIDE tells the inspiring story of Jim Ellis, a charismatic schoolteacher in the 1970s who changed lives forever when he founded an African-American swim team in... [More]
Starring: Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, Kimberly Elise, Tom Arnold
Director: Sunu Gonera
Get This Movie
Reviews for Pride
Top CriticI've come to realize that while I enter every sports movie with a great amount of disdain, I always come out feeling inspired. So it's time I grudgingly admit that I'm a sucker for this genre.
03/23/07
The trouble with Pride is that it sticks so close to the sports-movie playbook that it never comes alive.
03/23/07
Top CriticMaybe this really happened, but Gonera lacks the skill to make it seem real within the context of a fictional movie.
03/22/07
Feel-good swimming flick takes on racism.
10/31/07
An inspirational tale of a real-life underdog triumph hacked down into the familiar shape of a rousing Hollywood feel-good film...
03/22/07
"Pride" is just another in a long list of true-life inspirational sports movies that offers absolutely nothing new, borrowing every maudlin cliché from "Brain's Song" to "Remember the Titans."
03/23/07
First-time director Sunu Gonera and cinematographer Matthew F. Leonetti's strong visuals save this otherwise formulaic undertaking from being interchangeable inspirational film.
03/23/07
Maybe because it focused on swimming, and didn't really capture the drama of the sport, it came off like a TV movie. It even borrowed from Dead Poets Society with an 'Oh Captain, My Captain' moment.
03/03/08
Directed by Zimbabwean-born Sunu Gonera, who seems fascinated with 1970s American 'ghetto' atmosphere; he overdoses viewers on afros, hoop earrings and graffiti, which at least keeps the movie watchable.
06/19/07
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.
03/23/07
Top CriticThere's no excuse for Pride's mediocrity -- not with this story, not with this cast.
03/23/07
Top CriticPride has a sly, sexy way of overcoming inherent filmmaking clichés and winning over its audience.
03/23/07
Top CriticClearly, the real Jim Ellis pulled off a miracle. Too bad, then, that this film about him feels phony, full of clichés and bristling with subplots that smack of Hollywood storytelling rather than real-world situations.
03/23/07
with such a stubborn and unbending black-versus-white attitude, it comes across as racist as the lily white swim team that serves as the villains
03/23/07
If anything stands out in this relatively routine take on an old sports standby, it's Terrence Howard.
03/22/07
Pride has heart but not the soul it needs to be different.
03/22/07
Grab a real-life sports hero, whip up a few pointless catchphrases, and who cares if the rest is remotely good?
03/22/07
It flounders in the shallow end for a really long time... by the time the story had a chance to move me, I was just ready to get out of the pool.
03/24/07
This kind of story always manages to generate a bit of juice, and both Howard and Bernie Mac do their best to add character to the proceedings.
03/23/07
Top CriticLatest News for Pride
August 12, 2008:
Bernie Mac's 15 Roles to Remember 
Planning a Bernie Mac movie marathon this weekend? Entertainment Weekly has helpfully compiled a list of the comedian and actor's 15 most memorable roles. More...
March 20, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Madea Takes On Dr. Seuss
March Madness hits the North American box office as three new releases hit the multiplexes hoping to take down the reigning Dr. Suess toon. More...
April 28, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review
More...
March 26, 2007:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Ninja Turtles Unseat Spartans For #1 Spot
A crowded box office saw six new films shove their way into the multiplexes this weekend, but it was the Warner Bros. animated film "TMNT" that led the way knocking... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Best Dozen of the Decade
Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!
Top 50 of 2009
Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.
Santa's Naughty List
Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
RSS Feeds