"Edge" is a pretty weak adaptation of a documentary by Rick Derby called "Rocks with Wings." I caught Derby's documentary at the Hawaii International Film Festival a few years ago and I recently rented "Edge" because I enjoyed Derby's work so much and was excited to see that a movie seemed to have been made based on it. After watching it, however, I thought it unfortunate that movie makers couldn't make a great adaptation without turning it into a syrupy "Remember the Titans" formula or ratcheting away the true humanity and beauty of a work like "Rocks" by throwing in stereotyped Native-American problems of teen delinquency (teen pregnancy and alcoholism, which is nowhere in the documentary) and a poor excuse for a sports climax (when basketball was only half of the story in the documentary). "Edge" also only gave a brief patronization of the whole idea of the Navajo art philosophy central to the documentary, and outright ridiculed the "rocks with wings" mythology ("No, it's just a big rock"). The characters were flat and stereotyped and the story arc plain implausible and rushed. It's a shame that a better movie couldn't have been made that would be true to the cultural lessons and conflicts and in posthumous honor of Jerry (the African-American coach who comes from the east coast to teach/coach in Shiprock, New Mexico). Aside from the obvious, none of the important conflicts of the documentary could be found in the movie; i.e. the cultural clash between African-American individual achievement in the face of adversity (of which Jerry was a great example) vs. the Navajo cultural ethos of taking things as they come; or the real and interesting spiritual dichotomy between traditional Navajo mythology and the newer ideas of Christianity—both important to the native community; the triumph of unity that the team's success brought to the community was also missing; also, the metaphor of Navajo art and expression compared to the real life drama unfolding in the lives of the girls, the coaches and the team mother, as these conflicts and the "imperfection" of their lives and humanness that led them to ultimately learn to "win the right way." "Edge" will let you kill a couple hours with an almost-well done formula movie about a conflict of cultures within the context of a high school girls basketball team, but for a much richer look at a real life drama that comes from a clash of cultures and coaching styles, the injustice of discrimination and triumph of human desire, the connections between life and art, the heroism within competitive sports and a myriad of human motives that play out among a cast of characters that are a universal microcosm of the people we meet everyday, check out Derby's documentary.

Chris Eyre's Edge of America is a wonderful contribution to storytelling. It's evident that this young director is a visionary with potential for Hugh success. The story possesses a warm personal human touch, which makes it totally relateable. I could see it over and over again. His fine technique with actors allows for a smooth transition into the character they are portraying. He sets no boundaries or limitations, which gives the actor endless possibilities. His choices are clever, thought provoking, humorous and quite believable. He's the kind of director actors dream of working with. His film Smoke Signals was a true testament of what's to come with Chris' brilliant sense of storytelling and once again he's met the mark. It's time for this director to apply his creative genius to the silver screen once again. I can hardly wait.

A very good sports related drama. Kenny Williams(James McDaniel), a black educator from Texas leaves a past behind and takes a position teaching English at Three Nations High School in a small Native American community in Utah. Williams not only has problems fitting into the close knit society...he faces obstacles accepting coaching the girl's basketball team. He struggles with turning around a losing team and preparing them to hold their own against a rivaling nearby all-white high school.Some interesting sub-plots and a strong cast featuring: Wes Studi, Tim Daly, Irene Bedard, Fraya Aspaas-Montoya, Eddie Spears, Trini King and most impressive Delanna Studi. Some very contrasting scenery filmed in Salt Lake City, Utah. One of my favorite scenes is when the black coach is called a 'white man'. This project had a very successful premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004.

This film came out of nowhere the other night when it showed on cable. The movie directed by Chris Eyre and written by William Holtzman, is one of the most uplifting stories about how a teacher that cares to get involved makes all the difference in the world of the young basket ball team.It's obvious the women's basket ball team of the Three Nations high sucks big time; they play badly and are not coordinated at all. The new black teacher, Kenny Wwilliams, who comes to the school to teach, realizes the young women show potential. Basically, these kids show little self esteem and insecurity in the basket ball court. Kenny, in trying to help the girls, steps into a lot of toes, making him a not well liked figure in the school.All that changes when he gets Baby, a girl that is not attending the school, but who has potential, to join the team. Carla, the rebel girl who lives with her alcoholic father, comes around to join the others in a sport where she obviously excels. The high school goes from being a joke into the state finals thanks to what the coach Williams does for the team.The film is inspirational and has a positive message. In fact, this is one of the best sports films ever made. The movie works because of the great performance by James McDaniel, who as Kenny Williams is the spark that ignites the teen agers to realize their potential. Tim Daly makes a appearance as Carla's father. Delanna Studi plays the rebel Carla with conviction."Edge of America", which is based on a true story shows how one person can turn around a bunch of losers into winners by making them believe in themselves.