Review of Remember the Titans (2000) by Charlie A — 16 Jun 2011

An inspiring tangible tale from the family corporate Disney, Remember the Titans combines the current rifting issues especially those in sports, heavily on racism and its vilified influence in sports, bringing a tale that not only "film" involved, but does lure its audience to reflect upon it, completed with the motivating, uplifting story, and the caliber performance from Denzel Washington, to deliver the message.

Walt Disney's Remember the Titans tells a story of how an African American coach attempts to conquer through his Caucasian neighborhood, where he tried to bind a team of mixed race, teaching them true meaning of fairness. Herman Boone (Denzel Washington), an ambitious, forwarding African American coach, laid his first stride to an all-white skinned school, where he replaced 15 times American Football champion Coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton) who are relegated to assistant coach. Boone's arrival to the school did not much felt welcoming, especially stirring a controversy to the Caucasian community, which in 1971, are still affected with racism, where Boone was accused of stealing Yoast's job. While on the other side, his own race parried well to his arrival. As Boone tries to assemble his dream team, it is also for his obligation to kindle these packs of black and white race into a lethal, firm football team, whilst teaching them one valuable lesson no coach has ever taught: equity. Though his gruff style of teachings further questioning, but Boone knew, it would unite them, including his tighter relationship with Yoast, and his teammates to grow into family, oblivion to the black-white issues, as to vanquish racism from the team and even, his home in Virginia.

Remember the Titans are one of those stories dealing with heavy topics, one prominently about racism on how it affects its less cozy neighborhood. How, alike to the Martin Luther King's era, racism is like an everyday, each side making bantering opinions that later led to a controversy, or an anarchy. These topics are captured perfectly in Remember the Titans, to become those movie worth a paradigm of a life lesson, to treat every race, black or white in an equal way, because we are all simply human, and we are none too contrast.

There are lots and lots of tales significant to this kind of story. Sports movies, to imply .A few randomly mentioned like The Longest Yard, The Replacements, or even to the European Football's Escape to Victory (the movie that pretty much incline and axed Brazilian's Pele's career). But, after years, most sports films has recently sprinkled the light on blunt, grudged battlefield of sports and its depiction as the groundling war, and there hasn't been one that really explored the racism and how it causes a lot of confusion, leading to retaliation. From lots of story surfacing around these kinds of films, from either true story or conceiving one, Disney picked this one. Turns out to work effectively, though the issues discussed are too sultry for a Disney flick. The story aren't really new or fresh, but was helmed dominantly through its compression, the compassionate and bursting emotion, executed by the mixture of young and veterans actors. Remember the Titans, diverged from recent sports, can lure its audience to really connect them into the movie, not only to entertain but thriving to inspire and motivate us viewers, like therapy. Each dramatic moment are not put to waste, on the other side a few cinematic gauge that worth memories, and a mandatory guide to be a better coach( in any sports).

The script up lifts the drama potential. Each dialogue, mostly from Boone's strict but proclaiming words, came very awing, even leading to rain tears on its parade. All became very gratifying and confidence-boosting again, through the help, again from both young-veteran breed. Denzel Washington, playing the titular role as the controversial Herman Boone, like usual Denzel, always offers something new, especially to his biopic resume. His powerful, festive performance brings this simple, ordinary coach to a notorious preacher, ascending to teach fairness. Not only Washington that killed its role, its supporting cast did not falter, even being cloaked under Washington's radar. Will Patton, rarely does get this kind of gig, the leading role but he was able to do is best, even as magnificent as Washington. For a supporting role, Patton's Will Yoast's screen time was pretty much prominent for a supporting role, but proved to not be under dogged by the Oscar caliber's (Washington) talent. Like any sports, every young talent would prevail, like in Remember the Titans, introducing new faces that soon would gain the stardom, potentially. Some faces would prosper glaringly in future prospect (Donald Faison to star in NBC-ABC's Scrubs, Ryan Gosling to nail his role in The Notebook, Kate Bosworth to commence in Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, Ethan Suplee to blazed his comic ability in Jason Lee's My Name is Earl, to the 10 year old {at that time} Hayden Panettiere to overrule the angst teen domination in NBC's Heroes). A lot of the Titans, few mentioned above conspicuously, was the main groove that completes the tale, and how they acted well, as we were flattered by their progress of Boone's life lesson, how it changed their lives. Ryan Hurst, who played the troupes captain/quarterback Gerry Bertier, led these rendezvous of compound race team, to all hold the vital key to the movie. Every sharing of their story, from Bertier's tale of jocked up life to the simple ones of Suplee's Louis Lastik's tale of trying to pass high school, whilst also the key that helps bind the cracked black-white chemistry, being the sole ones to helped lure the whites to befriend the black. Also, another one mentioned above to have rise high is the " at that time" 10 year old Hayden Panettiere, playing a character that unlike those spoiled, doll obsessed sumptuous Barbie girl, plays the grinding, ambitious, roughneck daughter of Will Yoast, who alike to his father, was born into the American Football breed. Though different, it was not challenging for Panettiere to live through this character, where she was content with, to be widely renowned in the future to portray those tough heroine, and this time, to be fortunate, in such noble age.

Remember the Titans are alike to the title, the movie worth the remembering. Not much fresh was conveyed from this arbitrarily clichéd sport films, but it grew to be one of the iconic sports film, based on the festive acting, and the dramatic aspects, quotes that shall enthrall us audience with its journey to construct the better man. Denzel Washington, multiple Oscar prized talent, showed his grit, enlightening this mediocre character, stereotype, in which any African American actors than Washington could portray, to be one of those inspirational people, not only establish Denzel's ability, but also made the real Herman Boone to mount to the momentous fame. Will Patton, who played the assistant coach Bill Yoast did well, also knowing that supporting role grew to be more than just back up, even in level status to Denzel's screen time. Remember the Titans could also reach its cult following, like in sports, to have embraced potential actors, the previously unknown to be one of Hollywood's greatest. Those who had throbbed our heart like Panettiere, or Gosling who had enjoyed their soothing seats to an availing. This movie capture the message it wanted to explain, superiorly the issues now becoming anxious, concerning, the racism in sports, as again, to treat every human, either you're black or white (like Michael Jackson's 1991 hit), fairly and that each of both race are not enemies, they are just compelled by the world that chant its wish to loathe each other. Gladly, this easily capture message, gained Remember the Titans the garnishing momentum.