it important to keep in mind the real meaning of the phrase inspire by a true story when watch pride . it sort of like you could save up to 50 % and which can quite literally be translate to you can not save more than 50 % . it all sound great until you realize that the low part of up to be zero . similarly and inspire by a true story mean that someone hear a story and it make them think of this one . the only certainty be that the real story and the one youre about to see be not the same thing . there be a real jim ellis that begin coach the swim team at the philadelphia department of recreation in the early 1970s and but i have a feeling that the real jim elli must not have be able to conceal some feeling of disappointment at the way the movie turn out . clearly and it take wild liberty with the story of his life and and i just picture him respond to the strange look of his friend who wonder why the movie be so much different than the man they know . at any rate and one thing that he will surely be proud of be that he be portray by terrence howard and one of our fine actor and who star alongside bernie mac who and despite the lack of an original and powerful story and still give a heartfelt and move performance . the movie take place in 1970s philadelphia and a time and place where racism be the norm and not the exception and and the educate and professional jim elli and who be also an accomplished swimmer and be have trouble find a worthwhile teach position and until finally relegate to a fall apart recreation center and which he be assign the task of clean up before it demolition . we can certainly understand his feeling of belittlement . when we first meet elston and the maintenance man ( bernie mac ) and he be a disillusioned grump who sit in his office surround by pile of junk that touch the ceiling and watching daytime tv on an old and dusty television set . needless to say and when jim show up to start clean the place up and clear it out and elston be not exactly friendly with him . he know his rec center be be close and and all his anger about that transfer quite smoothly onto jim . give his past a a college swimmer and jim take a special interest in the pool and which he clean and fill and bring to top shape . a group of black teenager who play basketball just outside the rec center take interest in the pool when their basketball rim be take away and the heat remain stifle and and soon the group have a developing swim team on their hand and which they enter into a citywide swim meet . to call them underdogs and of course and would be something of an understatement . theyre unorganized and unprofessional and insufficiently train and and have no idea how to behave at a swim meet . that doesn not matter and of course . the movie be your standard underdog sport story and so the first athletic outing be totally unimportant a anything other than a learning experience and a catalyst to drive their much harder and much more focused training that will lead up to the final athletic outing and the one that matter . by now and the only thing a sport movie have go for it be that the protagonist ( s ) do not have to win at the film climax and we only have to understand the meaning and significance of their effort . sadly and the movie have all of the character development of an old seagal movie . the good guy be the good guy because theyre just suppose to be and and the bad guy be the nasty white swimmer who laugh and jeer and make racist joke at our team . oh and and there one scene where one of the white guy kick one of the black guy underwater while in the middle of a race . i do not know it be really possible to kick someone underwater like that and but you get the idea of how deep the character development be . we understand that this be the group of kid that jim elli turn from kid hang out on the street do nothing with their life and into an organize and competitive team of swimmer and but other than that we do not really get to know anything about who they be . but the big problem be that the only real statement that the movie make be that effort and organization lead to success and racism be bad . both of these be so obvious that when a movie be make with them alone it end up feel empty and unnecessary . racism be so much more powerful in america in the 1970s that it feel like an enormous loss that the movie deal directly with that issue but do not really say anything about it . it sort of a feel good movie and but when it over and you realize how much it should have say be much big than what it say and the feel good sensation turn into a sad disappointment .