Remember The Titans

View Date: September 30th, 2000

Cast :

Writer: Gregory Allen Howard 

Director: Boaz Yakin 

There is nothing like high school football.  Whether you were playing, or watching, for about 3 hours every weekend, for about 12 weeks per year, it was the most important thing in the world.  Nothing else mattered, and a magical spell emanated from the rickety bleachers and multi-purpose fields.  This spell had the power to bond small towns together, to unite people of all types for one common purpose; the spirit of competition, the hope for victory, and the battle for superiority.  Remember The Titans captures this spirit, amongst the racial tension of the early 70’s.  In some towns, like Alexandria Virginia, and my small hometown, this sport was the most important thing in the world.  The players were treated like warriors, whether in victory or defeat.  The coaches were put on a pedestal, or a stake, dependant upon the teams performance.  There was a uniting passion in the sport, when the sport was played for competition, rather than money.  Victory was important, but developing and molding the competitive spirit of the kids was the coaches priority.  There is a sense of innocence lost, and maturity gained, all within the confines of the stadiums.  The players learned to work together, the coaches got the sense of accomplishment, giving the kids memories that they will carry with them for life, while the fans, who usually could not agree on political issues, religion or social diversity, came together in a united front, if not just for 3 months, the world, their worlds, was a better place. 

The effort to capture the true essence of high school football has usually not been a successful one.  With the exception of 1998’s surprisingly enjoyable Varsity Blues, the focus was usually on the social cliques of high school, with football being the background.  Sports was something that the stereotypical jocks did, and was rarely the focus, but more the setup, for other events and issues.  Onscreen, the true essence of what high school football meant, had never really been captured, until now.  Director Boaz Yakin found a way to to recount this message, along with enlightening America on a forgotten piece of history, that more people should know about.  He tells the tale of Herman Boone, a high school coach  in Virginia, 1971.  Due to governmental rezoning, two schools are integrated into one, TC Williams High School, causing obvious tension and riots.  Boone is brought in to coach the team, after being ahead of a more experienced, and white, head coach.  Needless to say, this does not sit well in the town, or amongst the kids involved, black and white.  The remainder of the movie deals with the hurdles he overcomes, both on the field and off, in order to achieve his goals.  All of the typical sports movie scenes are present, from the characters fighting, then bonding, the differences in culture, melding into a cohesive nature and sense of similar goals, etc etc.  What carries Titans above other films of this genre, is the fact that Yakin is simply retelling events, in his own way.  He doesn’t as much fall prey to implanting the scenes, as he does in the method tells them.  He tends to go for the heart, obviously, one too many times, to milk or elicit and emotion.  And believe me, it works, it is shameless, unnecessary, but highly and incredibly effective.

Washington can make a career out of playing real characters, this is his 3^rd so far, because he fits so well into every role.  He makes us forget we are watching an actor, because it comes so naturally to him.  His chemistry with Patton, and the other players, lends conviction to the fact that he is one of the greatest living actors today.  In a movie filled with supporting performances, three definitely standout, as memorable, energetic, emotional, and even humorous.  Newcomer, Ryan Hurst as Bertier, is one who is focused on as going through a great transformation throughout the movie.  He is against it, but learns the true meaning of knowing the inner person.  Hurst reflects this in some memorable scenes, including one late in the film, involving a visit from a fellow teammate.  Adding in some strong supporting performances, one from the young daughter (Hayden Panettiere), and the other from the stereotypical fat kid (Ethan Suplee), which partially goes against the grain, Yakin builds a strong base which holds his story up, despite the inevitibilites of the story.

Ultimately, Remember The Titans is a powerfully effective, slightly overdone entry into an already overcrowded sports movie genre.  The reason this film works is due to the power of the performances, and the focus not just on the sport itself, but on the outside lives of the people involved. From the coaches, to kids, to the townspeople, this film deals with the issues of the era, while still being about overcoming differences, and judging someone based upon who they are, not just what they look like.  While falling prey to the cliché’s of its genre, this time in the telling, instead of just following tried and true standards, the film will definitely have an effect, while delivering a powerful message. It raises the question of does society influence the films, or vice versa? Does what occurs and is said onscreen effect the reactions of real life?  Its hard to tell, because the lines have been so blurred, its hard to tell whether characters do or say something because they saw it in a movie, or did the movie get the idea from observing reality.  In this film, its hard to tell, because its based upon real events, so unless you know, or were, one of the people involved, the validity is hard to debate. It just seems that it is a bit much, toned down a bit, this could have been a powerful masterpiece, as it is, it is definitely one to remember.  Study recent history, read more about the Titans, and if this film inspires events like this to never happen again, then it has achieved a greater goal than box office success, it promotes unity, peace and love, based upon a persons soul, rather than their appearance.  I’ll step down off of my pulpit, but still will preach the value of this movie to anyone who will listen. ($$$ out of $$$$)

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