Remember the Titans is a movie based on the true story of a Virginia football team that is forced to integrate in 1971. For me personally, this movie was a shock. Growing up in New York, our neighborhood became integrated round about 1974, and though we had our share of trouble, none of it was on the scale of what was depicted in this movie. Sure, some of it might have been built up to tell the story, but even if half of the reactions to the integration of the school and football team are true, it was still a reality check that this was still going on to this degree in 1971.
Due to the integration of the school - and the football team - Herman Boone (portrayed by Denzel Washington) is named as the head coach of the Titans at T.C. Williams High School. This head coach job comes at the expense of the previous Coach, Bill Yost (portrayed by Will Patton).
Much has been made of Denzel Washington's performance in this movie, but I think Patton's portrayal of Coach Yost is truly a shining moment - and the greatest performance in this actor's career so far. Patton is best known for supporting roles in the movies Armageddon, Gone is Sixty Seconds, and Entrapment. InRemember the Titans, we get to see the full scope of this actor's talent. He conveys the conflict within Yost with great subtlety, yet we know it's there.
Coach Yost is greatly at odds with Coach Boone's style. He does not want to be in this position - which is essentially a demotion for him - but remains because otherwise the white players will refuse to play. He is putting what is best for his players above his own personal gains, and does this several times throughout the film. Coach Yost is a man caught in turbulent times. His strong feelings of right and wrong may cost him in the end, but he is a man of conscience.
That is not to diminish Denzel Washington's performance in the least. However, Coach Boone has a job to do and a need to prove himself. If the story is true in that Coach Boone would have been fired had the Titans lost a single game that first season, it is all the more a credit to the character that Boone does not break down and confess this fact to Coach Yost at any time during the season. That was the one moment I was waiting for: the buddy-bonding moment between the two coaches when Boone confesses his predicament to Yost. It never came, and I actually think the film was better for it.
The changes in the attitudes of the players very well done, and not rushed along for the sake of the story. Neither the black players nor the white players wish to associate with each other in the beginning. Coach Boone goes to extravagant lengths to force them to know one another. This is helped along by the fact that two white players from other areas of the country join the team - one from New Jersey and the other from California - where the attitudes are not quite as separatist as in Virginia.
The movie had opened with a funeral. At the time, I was sure I knew who's funeral it was. At the end I was shocked. It is a somewhat sad ending to the film, but at the same time the entire movie is very uplifting. For if this team could accomplish the impossible in such a short time, then there is hope for the rest of the world.
I watched this movie on DVD. It does not seem to be available for purchase until January of 2002. I rented it through Netflix. The extras which come with the DVD are well worth it. There are interviews with the real-life coaches as well as the usual "making of" documentaries and deleted scenes. I found the interviews to be the most interesting, seeing the actual people involved talk about the events and the film.
The only drawback I have to the entire film was the actual brutality involved in football itself. There are two scenes in particular that bothered me. One is where Coach Boone refuses to allow the players to get water during practice. In light of recent instances of players collapsing - and dying - after becoming dehydrated during practice, this is particularly disturbing. In another scene, Coach Boone talks about football being a way to control anger and harness aggression in these boys, and my thoughts drifted to OJ Simpson. Football is a brutal sport, and this film leaves little doubt about how much brutality is involved.
In January, I can guarantee this will be added to our collection. This is a great way for a generation to learn about what life was like when "separate but equal" ruled the land.
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