Filmmaker Ian Phillips’s documentary profiles Martin Jacobson, a soccer coach who guided Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Manhattan to a record 17 citywide championships. Jacobson’s triumph is a story of victory against amazing odds: when he arrived in 1994, the school had a poor reputation for athletics and an even worse reputation for academic achievement. It also didn’t help to be a soccer coach at a school without a soccer field. Working with a student body primarily consisting of immigrant youth from Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America, Jacobson brought structure and discipline to his players’ lives, both on the field and outside of the game. Jacobson’s success became wider known thanks to a 2007 New York Times feature that detailed how he had helped several players get housing, green cards, and scholarships. Coach Jake also deals frankly with Jacobson’s personal struggle: a recovered heroin addict, he is now living with the Hepatitis C virus and cirrhosis of the liver. While the film certainly sports a feel-good vibe, it does not sugarcoat the stories of Jacobson and his players, who are presented as complex individuals facing a multitude of challenges. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
Coach Jake
(2018) 82 min. DVD: $19.95. First Run Features (avail. from most distributors). Volume 33, Issue 5
Coach Jake
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