The Green Wave
By Brian Costello,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Inspiring basketball docu has emotional intensity, language.
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The Green Wave
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What's the Story?
The Green Wave is a sports documentary about Coach Louis Mulkey, who coached the Summerville High School Green Wave team near Charleston, South Carolina. Mulkey, who was a captain of the Charleston Fire Department and a football coach for Summerville, takes over the basketball team and gets to work in helping to make his players successes on the basketball court, in the classroom, and in their lives past high school and into adulthood. Former players reflect on their humble and challenging backgrounds, and how Mulkey helped them to find their greatness within. Players, teachers, and colleagues reflect on Mulkey's legacy, and discuss (with tears in their eyes) Mulkey's tragic death while fighting a massive fire that also took the lives of eight other firefighters in what had been the largest loss of the lives of firefighters since 9/11. Devastated by his death, the players find it impossible to carry on as a team and pursue their goal of winning the state championship, but an apparent miracle during a practice inspires them to continue, and as the community rallies around the team and the memories of their beloved coach, the team makes it to the State Championship in a game fraught with incredible last-second drama.
Is It Any Good?
This is an inspiring story about an inspiring high school basketball coach who tragically died far too soon. The Green Wave is a low-budget sports documentary that reveals the profound and far-reaching effects a positive role model can have on the lives of youths. Louis Mulkey, the subject of this documentary, was a captain in the Charleston, South Carolina Fire Department, a basketball coach for Summerville High School, and a man who cared about bringing out the best in those he coached, and not only on the basketball court. The documentary is filled with the testimonials of former players whose lives were touched by Coach Mulkey, and there's so much heartfelt emotion in these stories, the sincerity of this project usually transcends the movie's shortcomings.
Probably the biggest shortcoming is an issue all-too-prevalent in low-budget sports documentaries like these: an overreliance on "rousing" orchestral background music on a steady and infinite loop. It's a mystery as to why sports documentary filmmakers feel like they need to have generic and bombastic stringed overtures playing behind interviews that don't need that extra bit of emotional oomph to drive the points home. There's also a nagging sense that some context is left out of this, or merely hinted at. Still, it's an earnest tribute to a man who clearly made a positive difference in the lives of those around him.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about sports documentaries like The Green Wave. How does this compare to other sports documentaries you've seen?
Had this been a fictional movie, it would be reasonable to believe that many viewers would dismiss this as little more than another movie with a "White savior" narrative. How do the testimonials from the former players dispel this and show that Coach Mulkey was a one-of-a-kind role model?
What makes a positive role model? Who are the positive role models in your life?
Movie Details
- In theaters: October 25, 2020
- On DVD or streaming: October 24, 2021
- Cast: Louis Mulkey , AJ Green
- Director: Guido Verweyen
- Studio: Chicken Soup For The Soul Entertainment
- Genre: Documentary
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts , Great Boy Role Models , High School
- Run time: 81 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: October 7, 2022
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