'COACH CARTER' THROWS UP AN EMOTIONAL BRICK.

Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic

YOU DON'T LEARN very much about Coach Ken Carter in ``Coach Carter.''

There's a lot of other learning that goes on - too much, I'd say, for a true underdog sports movie to be gripping, no matter how honorably intended. But the first lesson of a good biopic - tell us something compelling and complicated about the individual we're studying - is severely flunked.

Carter, you may or may not recall, was the Richmond, Calif., sporting goods salesman who took on the basketball team coaching job at his alma mater, Richmond High. He turned the distressed, ghetto school's hoopsters into winners, but when many of the players failed to live up to the academic improvement contract Carter made them all sign, he famously padlocked the gym and canceled future games until their grades improved, much to the community's chagrin.

Samuel L. Jackson plays Carter, and director Thomas Carter (no relation to Coach; he made ``Save the Last Dance'') was lucky to get him. Few actors have the wicked humor and smoldering presence that Jackson brings to any party, and boy are they needed here as ramrod Coach Ken mouths torrents of self-improvement speeches and tough-love cliches. In his sleek suits and loud ties, Carter is a charismatic presence at practice and at games - which he miraculously always knows how to motivate his guys to win at the last buzzer.

Problem is, Carter is all assured motive. He never doubts that he's the best basketball coach there is, nor that his scheme to get his charges into worthwhile college careers after their high school sports glory has passed is the right crusade to be on. He is correct on both counts, of course, but man, doesn't this guy ever make a wrong move? Or question anything about himself, as would a human being as smart and psychologically manipulative and secretly compassionate as he?

Not in this movie. Most of the shaded characterization comes from the younger actors, and they're not given a whole lot to work with, either. Best of the bunch is ``Finding Forrester's'' Rob Brown, whose Kenyan is smart enough to know that marrying his pregnant girlfriend Kyra (singing star Ashanti in a solid acting debut) will probably wreck both their futures but decent and loving enough to support her decision to have the baby if she insists.

There's also the combative, borderline drug criminal (Rick Gonzalez) who needs Carter's surrogate fathering more than either of them realizes. And Carter's own overachieving son, Damien (Robert Ri'chard), transfers out of his fancy private school just so he can play on Dad's team, which is about it for his character arc. They, like most of the other players, are the same guys you find on every movie team.

The basketball footage is shot well enough, though too much winning (they were undefeated when Coach sent everybody to the library) undermines the action. There is also a massive amount of cussing - not unusual for a Jackson movie but pretty excessive for one rated PG-13. And the film is a long 2 1/4 hours, much of it spent imparting important life lessons ... but not a visceral sense of life itself.

God love Coach Carter and what he's done to improve real kids' educations. But movies shouldn't feel like school, even when their subject is learning.

Bob Strauss, [phone]

bob.strauss(at)dailynews.com

COACH CARTER - Two and one half stars

(PG-13: language, drug use, violence, sexuality)

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Rob Brown, Robert Ri'chard, Rick Gonzalez, Nana Gbewonyo, Antwon Tanner, Ashanti, Denise Dowse.

Director: Thomas Carter.

Running time: 2 hr. 14 min.

Playing: Wide release.

In a nutshell: Inspiring educator stuff about the real-life East Bay coach who made his basketball players improve their grades if they wanted to stay on his winning team. More instructional than exciting, as you may have guessed.