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Remember the Titans Directed by Boaz Yakim 
Cast: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst, Ethan Suplee, Nicole Ari Parker, Hayden Panettiere, Kip Pardue, Craig Kirkwood, Donald Faison
When it comes to a movie like "Remember the Titans," a viewer's overall opinion is based largely on how they feel after seeing it. If a moviegoer is simply looking for a sports movie to enjoy, the film is an unqualified success. Although it has a fairly predictable outcome, it delivers quite a few pleasant moments along the way. However, if one is looking for a depiction of race relations in the South during the early 1970's, "Remember the Titans" is best described as timid and very much unexceptional. In its soft-peddled portrayal of the theme of intolerance, the picture refuses to risk even the smallest chance of offending its audience. From the beginning, we are made aware that the movie has its roots in historical fact, as if the "based on a true story" caption lends credibility to it. In reality, there's probably more truth in an entirely fictional account like The War Zone than in this film, where events have been massaged to make for a compelling two hours in a theater. The fact is that, unlike documentaries and docu-dramas (such as Gettysburg), motion pictures are not expected to offer unbiased and unaltered versions of history. For that, there are textbooks. In "Remember the Titans," this concern wouldn't even be an issue had not the filmmakers insisted upon linking their characters and events to real life some 30 years ago. The movie may have been better had it not been encumbered by the words "based on a true story," and all that they imply. This is Denzel Washington's second consecutive film in which a fact-based narrative has been used as a jumping-off point to make a social statement. However, unlike The Hurricane (which was the target of numerous slings from those who were offended by its frequent rewriting of history), "Remember the Titans" is not hard-hitting in its depiction of bigotry. The circumstances endured by the characters in this film would have been minor irritants to Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, who was railroaded and falsely convicted of a murder because of his race. In "Remember the Titans," the worst incidences of racism are some taunting and mild name-calling, a brick hurled through a window, and a brawl or two. In a way, this underplaying of racism misrepresents it as something less pervasive and poisonous than it was and, to an extent, still is. Of course, the argument can be made that a serious examination of intolerance in 1971 Virginia would clash with the get-up-and-cheer tone inherent in the storyline of an underdog football team banding together to defy the odds. That is a valid point - a more hard-hitting portrayal of bigotry would have curdled the formula, and made the film appear disjointed. Given his constraints, director Boaz Yakim does what he can to represent the interaction of the black and white team members as a microcosm of society as a whole. He does manage to create a socially relevant underpinning - even if it comes across as contrived and preachy at times. Complaints aside, I must admit to having enjoyed the film, albeit largely on a visceral level. Like all sports movies, "Remember the Titans" is relentlessly manipulative and hopelessly predictable, but Yakim skillfully choreographs the expected ups and downs. And, although nearly every character is pretty much cut-and-dry, those whom we get to know on a first-name basis are likable. Of course, the presence of an accomplished actor like Washington doesn't hurt, and his character actually does possess some depth. With the exception of a pair of bookend scenes transpiring in 1981, the film takes place a decade earlier in the town of Alexandria, Virginia where the T.C. Williams High School has just been integrated. Not only are whites and blacks mingling in school halls now, but on its football field as well. And, in a place like Alexandria where most residents live for the school's games, the composition of the Titans team is critical, as is the identity of its coach. So, when the eminently qualified local choice, Bill Yoast (Will Patton), is passed over in favor of an out-of-towner named Herman Boone (Washington), the citizens are in an uproar, especially since they believe Boone has been selected based on his race and not his qualifications. The commonly held opinion is that the school board hopes the presence of a black coach will calm the tensions that are threatening to turn Alexandria into another Watts. Boone is initially uncomfortable with the reasons behind his getting the job, but he vows to be color-blind in his treatment of his players. He invites Yoast to be his defensive coordinator, an offer that is reluctantly accepted. Over the course of a grueling, late-summer boot camp, he works to dispel the preconceptions held by his charges of one another. A few of the players fast become friends, and Boone and Yoast develop a bond. But the team's newfound harmony does not necessarily reflect that of the outside world which regards the racially integrated team with mistrust and even disdain. Washington isn't the only actor to give a strong performance. The underrated Will Patton, who takes advantage of his past casting as a bad guy to toy with the audience's expectations, ably supports him. Equally convincing are Wood Harris and Ryan Hurst who play Julius and Bertier, a pair of militant black and white players who become close friends. Then there's young Hayden Panettiere who steals nearly every scene she's in as Yoast's nine year-old daughter, Cheryl. She'd much rather watch football films and help the coaches than play with dolls. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose last non-action endeavor was the ill-conceived Coyote Ugly (he was also behind this summer's Gone In 6 Seconds as well as past blockbusters like Armageddon and Crimson Tide) is not one to court controversy. His trademark is to make glitzy, accessible movies for wide audiences. So, by toning down the racial epithets (the word "nigger" is not uttered even once) and the violence in "Remember the Titans", he garners a flaccid PG for material that could have easily been rated PG-13 or R. The wisdom of his approach is questionable since it gives the impression that concern over the film's integrity succumbed to a desire for commercial success. Bruckheimer's director, Boaz Yakim, attempts to rebound from his much criticized and box-office disaster, A Price Above Rubies (which followed his much-lauded debut, Fresh). As sports films go, "Remember the Titans" is a notch above average - in part, because its social message (albeit soft-peddled) creates a richer fabric than the cloth from which this kind of movie is typically cut. The film's racial slant energizes the football games, and creates more sincerity and less self-centeredness in its actors. It is a better picture than its most recent kin, The Replacements, which had the formula, but not much else. Still, when compared to a high school basketball classic like Hoosiers, "Remember the Titans'" flaws become apparent. Fortunately, they weren't so serious as to lower the film's broad-based appeal or diminish its quotient of feel-good moments.
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