Remember the Titans is a brilliant film that celebrates the sport of American football and its power to help people put aside their differences and work as a team. The 2000 Sports drama was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. It is based on a true story about an African American coach Herman Boone who is placed in charge of T.C Williams High School’s Football Team and his struggle to be accepted and gain acceptance for the African American members of the team. African American and White American schools (which were segregated at the time) are combined in a supposed effort by the Government to remove racism but at first the African Americans players are ridiculed, taunted and treated awfully both at the school and by the White Americans on the team who don’t appreciate their first team positions being contested by African Americans who were tragically and disgustingly considered ‘sub human’ at the time.
Outrageously this was only some 40 years ago that the United States of America entertained racist ideals as the norm. Coach Boone asked the previous white coach Bill Yoast to remain as his assistant and he reluctantly accepts, setting an example for the team .The film follows real life athletes Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst) and Julius Campbell (Wood Harris) as their mixed race friendship, as captains of Offense and Defence, helps unite the entire team and town and leave racism in the past. Denzel Washington is outstanding as Coach Boone, delivering several touching and motivational speeches throughout the film, encouraging his players to forget their differences and unite in the love of a sport.
The most rewarding thing about this movie is that the entire town begins to worship Coach Boone and the football team, regardless the skin colour of its players. Thanks to some emotional and heartfelt performances the film expresses how youth do not naturally dislike someone from a different culture or race, but rather it is drilled into them by society. As it is not inherent in human nature to hate someone else without just cause the team are reconditioned throughout the film, learning to understand one another and to love and respect differences in culture. The ironic thing is that despite the white boys having been fed so many lies in their youth about how the black boys live they find that in reality they are all very much the same, just young Americans wanting success in their life, their education and in their love of football.
The best part about this happy ending is that it is a true story, and the team stood as a symbol for many to follow. The feel good film saw great success in the cinemas turning over $136,706,683 in gross profit and is fully deserving of it with excellent acting performances from several younger actors including Donald Faison and Ryan Gosling as well as the more experienced Denzel Washington and Will Patton. A sad and yet joyous moment at the end of the film shows the team reunited at Gerry’s funeral after he was killed by a drunk driver but shows how successful many of them have been, both black and white, in the new and more accepting America.
IMAGE 1: http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTczNTA2MDc0OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMTg4MDY2._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg - The Film Release Poster
IMAGE 2: http://www.film.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/4014_c121-2-6.jpg - Some of the team.
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