Rebound
An acclaimed college hoops coach is demoted to a junior varsity team after a public meltdown.
The film financial setback against its moderate budget of $45.0M, earning $16.8M globally (-63% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its distinctive approach within the comedy genre.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Rebound (2005) reveals deliberately positioned plot construction, characteristic of Steve Carr's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 26 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Roy McCormick
Keith Ellis
Ralph
Big Mac
Wes
Yvette
Tom Arnold
Goggles
Main Cast & Characters
Roy McCormick
Played by Martin Lawrence
Egotistical college basketball coach who is suspended and forced to coach a middle school team to restore his reputation.
Keith Ellis
Played by Tara Correa-McMullen
Undersized point guard with determination and basketball IQ who becomes the team leader.
Ralph
Played by Breckin Meyer
Overweight and clumsy player who struggles with confidence but has a good heart.
Big Mac
Played by Gus Hoffman
Tall, awkward center who lacks coordination but has size advantage.
Wes
Played by Steven Anthony Lawrence
Athletic player who initially lacks discipline but has natural talent.
Yvette
Played by Wendy Raquel Robinson
Assistant principal and love interest who challenges Roy to be a better person and coach.
Tom Arnold
Played by Patrick Warburton
Rival middle school coach who is competitive and antagonistic toward Roy.
Goggles
Played by Oren Williams
Smart, nerdy player who wears protective goggles and provides comic relief.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Roy McCormick coaching college basketball at the height of his career, arrogant and self-centered, berating players and officials while winning championships.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 10 minutes when Roy has a spectacular meltdown during a televised game, throwing a tantrum and physically acting out, resulting in his immediate suspension from college basketball coaching.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 22 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Roy reluctantly accepts the middle school coaching position at Mt. Vernon Junior High, entering a world completely different from elite college basketball - a world of awkward kids who can't play., moving from reaction to action.
At 45 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 52% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat False victory: The team wins their first game or shows major improvement. Roy experiences genuine connection with the kids, particularly Keith. He begins to realize this experience might matter more than his college career. Stakes raise as his emotional investment deepens., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 67 minutes (78% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Roy chooses his old life and abandons the team before their championship game. The kids feel betrayed. Roy gets what he thought he wanted but it feels empty - his dream of college glory is revealed as hollow. He's become the selfish person again and hurt those who trusted him., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 71 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 83% of the runtime. Roy makes the active choice to return to the team, synthesizing his basketball knowledge with his newfound understanding of what truly matters. He sacrifices his college career for the kids, choosing humility and service over ego and glory., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Rebound's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Rebound against these established plot points, we can identify how Steve Carr utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Rebound within the comedy genre.
Steve Carr's Structural Approach
Among the 6 Steve Carr films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.3, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Rebound takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Steve Carr filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Steve Carr analyses, see Are We Done Yet?, Next Friday and Daddy Day Care.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Roy McCormick coaching college basketball at the height of his career, arrogant and self-centered, berating players and officials while winning championships.
Theme
Someone comments to Roy that winning isn't everything, hinting at the value of character and relationships over trophies - Roy dismisses this completely.
Worldbuilding
Establishing Roy's world as a successful but toxic college basketball coach: his ego, his treatment of others, his isolation despite fame, and his fatal flaw of putting winning above everything.
Disruption
Roy has a spectacular meltdown during a televised game, throwing a tantrum and physically acting out, resulting in his immediate suspension from college basketball coaching.
Resistance
Roy resists his new reality as a pariah in college basketball. His agent searches for opportunities but no major program will hire him. He's offered a volunteer position coaching middle school basketball at his alma mater and debates whether to accept something so beneath him.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Roy reluctantly accepts the middle school coaching position at Mt. Vernon Junior High, entering a world completely different from elite college basketball - a world of awkward kids who can't play.
Mirror World
Roy meets Jeanie Ellis, a grounded teacher and single mother whose son Keith is on the team. She represents the caring, selfless approach to working with kids that Roy lacks, embodying the thematic lesson he must learn.
Premise
Roy attempts to coach the misfit middle school team using his aggressive college tactics, which fail miserably. Through comic disasters, humiliating losses, and gradual adjustment, Roy begins to actually teach the kids and connect with them as individuals, slowly learning to care.
Midpoint
False victory: The team wins their first game or shows major improvement. Roy experiences genuine connection with the kids, particularly Keith. He begins to realize this experience might matter more than his college career. Stakes raise as his emotional investment deepens.
Opposition
Despite progress, challenges intensify: the team faces tougher opponents, Roy's old college coaching world comes calling with lucrative offers, and he must choose between returning to glory or staying committed to kids who now depend on him. Internal and external pressure mounts.
Collapse
Roy chooses his old life and abandons the team before their championship game. The kids feel betrayed. Roy gets what he thought he wanted but it feels empty - his dream of college glory is revealed as hollow. He's become the selfish person again and hurt those who trusted him.
Crisis
Roy's dark night of the soul: he recognizes that coaching these kids and being part of their lives matters more than trophies and fame. He confronts his need to be someone who builds others up rather than serving only his ego.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Roy makes the active choice to return to the team, synthesizing his basketball knowledge with his newfound understanding of what truly matters. He sacrifices his college career for the kids, choosing humility and service over ego and glory.
Synthesis
Roy returns and apologizes to the team and Jeanie. The championship game unfolds with Roy coaching from his heart, the team applying everything they've learned about teamwork and belief. The game's outcome becomes secondary to the emotional victory of Roy's transformation and the team's growth.
Transformation
Final image mirrors the opening but shows complete transformation: instead of Roy standing alone in arrogant glory, he's surrounded by the team and Jeanie - connected, humble, and genuinely happy. He's found something more valuable than trophies: meaningful relationships and purpose.