Inspiration strikes in the form of the center’s rundown and junk-filled pool. Driven by a compulsion he’s not completely sure he understands, former collegiate competitive swimmer Ellis cleans and refills the empty pool, and much to the chagrin of the facility’s longtime custodian Elton (Bernie Mac) he allows some of the local boys to come inside and swim.

Next thing he knows, Jim is transforming this motley band of nobody’s into a team of capable and driven swimmers. They become the first African-American swim team in the city, improving day-in and day-out to the point they have chance to qualify for the upcoming state championships. He’s got them working harder and training longer than anyone else in the city, and by the time those final meets come along they’re going to be prepared better than anyone else in Pennsylvania.

With racism and violence threatening to tear them apart, Jim must find away to do battle with both external forces trying to tear them apart as well as his own personal demons haunting his past. But the team is the priority, and win, lose or draw this teacher is darn sure his kids are going to discover that victory, both in and out of the pool, is within their reach. They just have to have the guts to stretch out and grab it.

There is not a single surprise in the new film Pride. We have seen this sports themed drama before, many times, in fact, and anyone expecting either a twist or a turn that’s different or new has certainly got another thing coming to them. It’s as by the numbers as an entry in The Mighty Ducks series, the people behind Hoosiers, Rocky, Remember the Titans, The Natural, The Rookie, Invincible et al probably sitting in the theater quietly tipping their hats.

Thankfully the movie is able to overcome this familiarity by being monstrously entertaining, Howard giving the picture a stirring central figure galvanizing a person’s attention and energizing their interest. He is magnificent, Ellis a three-dimensional character with his own flaws and foibles making his sacrifices for the kids all the more commendable. He is a dynamic presence, Howard taking this familiar archetype and turning him into an individual worthy of consideration and respect.

The rest of the cast is pretty darn fine in their own right. Mac is in solid dramatic form here, while Tom Arnold is a bit of a shocking success as a rival swim coach and educator going out of his way to belittle Ellis’ achievements. Kimberly Elise has a couple of shining moments as a Philadelphia councilwoman looking to shut the center’s doors only to find her eye’s reopened thanks to the swim team’s success, while Scott Reeves manages to strike an effective nerve as a racist swimmer competing under Arnold’s tutelage.

Yet none of this would mean anything if the team of swimmers Ellis is coaching weren’t an intriguing and beguiling bunch. Thankfully they are, all of the kids having a small moment here or there to take their characters out of cliché and plant them in a real world brimming with legitimacy. Of them all, my favorite had to be young Regine Nehy. It’s a small role but an important one, and every time she’s onscreen I found I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She’s great, the movie earning a small measure of applause from me just for her effervescent smile alone.

Still, this isn’t exactly rocket science. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what happens when the swimmers get to the state competition. First time director Sunu Gonera doesn’t do a darn thing to try and mask these familiarities, instead choosing to shoot things in almost a perfunctory documentary-like fashion that’s as obvious as the picture’s denouement. He takes no risks and doesn’t offer a thing we haven’t seen before, his direction of all this as tired and as obvious as the script is familiar and routine.

And somehow I just don’t care, because for all my complaining I still enjoyed this drama considerably. Ellis’ story is definitely one worth being told, Howard capturing the man and his remarkable achievements beautifully. Pride isn’t perfect, doesn’t even come close to being so, but it is entertaining, and as far as I’m concerned that’s enough for me to get along with the film just swimmingly.

Film Rating: êêê  (out of 4)