Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish
Released:
26/11/2001
Brief synopsis of Remember The Titans
While on the surface, American high school football may seem like an innocent game played by the young, for the young, it is, in fact, much, much more. For millions, including many fans who are well removed from their high school years but who love to sit in those creaky bleachers every Friday night or Saturday morning, it is something akin to a religion. Director Boaz Yakin's REMEMBER THE TITANS captures the heart of the sport while tackling the sins of its fathers, chronicling the true story of the undefeated 1971 T.C. Williams team of Alexandria, Virginia, which was the first integrated high school team in the state. Denzel Washington brings his ever-powerful presence to the role of coach Herman Boone, who is brought in to oversee the transition to integration. Though Boone is eventually successful as a coach, the townspeople dissaprove of him because he replaces the popular, entrenched former coach, Bill Yoast (Will Patton). At first, coach Yoast resents being supplanted, while coach Boone is told that his promotion was just for show--to help the integration--and that he's likely to be lifted if the team loses a game. Will the coaches and players be able to overcome their adversity and make T.C. Williams a beacon for integration in sports
Never one to shy away from controversy, Denzel Washington tackles the potentially explosive combination of football and racial desegregation in 1970s America in this drama based on a true story. When two Virginia high schools are combined, Washington supersedes his white counterpart Will Patton as head coach of the Titans football team. Inevitably, this causes friction between them and among the players, as they try to overcome hostility and prejudice in the pursuit of sporting glory. Washington gives a typically solid performance, but it's Patton — ruthlessly effective in No Way Out — who quietly steals the show. This slickly made movie from director Boaz Yakin pushes all the right emotional buttons even if it doesn't linger long in the memory.
Halliwell's Film Guide
Deeply sentimental and shamelessly manipulative drama, based on a true story but so platitudinous in its telling that any feeling for the period or in its truth is soon lost.
New York Times
"...Mr. Washington and Mr. Patton are strong, complex [presences]...You'll [find] a lump in your throat and an overwhelming urge to cheer."