"Remember the Titans"
High school football rules in Virginia. But, in 1971, this institution, this way of life, was put to the test when the local school board was forced to integrate the high schools of Alexandria, Virginia. To further fuel the fires, Herman Boone (Denzel Washington), a black coach from South Carolina is brought in to replace local legend and state Hall of Fame nominee, Coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton), as the head coach of the T.C. Williams High School football team, the Titans. Boone's task is formidable as he takes absolute control of his players, during volatile times, molding them into a team where respect is more important than race in "Remember the Titans."
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer seems to have his producer credit on most of the films coming out of Hollywood this year. "Gone in 60 Seconds" and "The Replacements" come immediately to mind and, now, "Remember the Titans." While "Gone in 60 Seconds" was a lot of smoke and flash and "The Replacements" was good-hearted fun, Bruckheimer's latest is hit-you-over-the-head inspirational tale. Based on a true story, "Titans" tells us about two men - Herman Boone and Bill Yoast - who are both at an important crossroad in their lives. Boone is being set up by the town fathers to fail as the school's head coach, while Yoast is forced to choose between his loyalty to his team or to himself.
Coach Boone, who took the assistant coaching position when he came to T.C. Williams, is suddenly thrust into the number one spot to the detriment of the man he thought he would be working for - Coach Yoast. Herman doesn't know it, at first, but the town elders are setting him up, along with the government-imposed school integration, to fail. If the daunting task of integrating his team isn't difficult enough, it is compounded, many fold, by the racial turmoil that enfolds the city and the country. Boone's reaction is to take on the task as absolute dictator of the Titans. He does not brook racial hate and conflict in the ranks of the team and demands, even if the boys do not like each other, they will respect each other unconditionally. The message of respect, integrity and team play is repeated many times through the film.
Bill Yoast is a man of honest integrity who stays on board the Titans' staff as defensive coach out of loyalty to the team and, especially, Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst). Gerry is an All-American player who has a shining career ahead of him, a career that Coach Yoast has nurtured him toward. While Gerry is totally opposed to the integration of the team and the school, even challenging head coach Boone, the influence of Bill Yoast is apparent and helps the young player to take the right path in his life-affecting decisions. Patton brings out the gentle understanding and strength that a man like Bill Yoast would need to have in such an emotionally fraught social climate.
The story doesn't stop with the two lead characters. There is a significant ensemble cast that fleshes out the team and allows the message of the movie - integration and respect is good, racism and hate is bad - to be played in a variety of ways. Principally, the initial rivalry, then friendship, that develops between the leaders of the blacks and whites on the team - Julius Campbell (Wood Harris) and Gerry - is the catalyst that makes the team the role model for the rest of the school and the city of Alexandria. The boys, especially Gerry, see the wrong in segregation and begin the long, painful task of changing the way people think. Again, more inspirational messages on good versus bad.
The integration process begins, for the team, when one kid, Lewis Lastik (Ethan Suplee), a poor white kid who doesn't give a hoot about race or prejudice, volunteers for the team. He just wants to tackle people and have some fun and acts as the first bridge between the black and white players. To make sure we, the audience, understand the film's simple, straightforward message, a friendship is also formed between the two coaches daughters. Sheryl Yoast (Hayden Panettiere) is a tomboy who loves football and knows more about the game and her beloved Titans than most of the adults around her. Nicky Boone (Krystin Leigh Jones), a prim and proper young lady, is as different from Sheryl as oil is to water. Despite their differences - personal, not racial - they become fast friends and are yet another example of the goodness of racial harmony and acceptance of people's differences.
Acting is uniformly solid throughout. Washington is good, as usual, but Will Patton is better in his powerful, yet subtle, portrayal of the humane and intelligent Bill Yoast. While Yoast does not stray far from his path of personal integrity, there is nuance and conflict in the performance that makes Patton's perf a fine character study of an interesting, complex man.
The kids masking up the team are a good collection of newcomers who are given a chance to create real people out of their characters. Hurst, as Gerry, get the most of the limelight in his role as a true leader, a young man who, with Yoast and Boone's influence, is destined to be great, no matter what life dishes out to him. Wood Harris as Julius, rival then best friend to Gerry, isn't given the floor as much as Hurst but still does a good job in showing that the man he was afraid of is, in fact, his brother. Kip Pardue as Californian transplant nicknamed Sunshine, Donald Faison as the lost then found Petey, and comic relief Suplee help give the background characters some personality.
Production is consistent with the acting quality, with attention paid to the circa-1971 period details - although I question that the use of mouth guards had come in to being for high school players at that time. I may be wrong. Most of the action is on the field, in the locker room or at the school, so town locales are less significant but still well displayed. The tunes use during the film are a collection, almost a mishmash, of the music of that time. Prominent are the overused "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (also covered by the team, of course), "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," "Spirit In The Sky" (another well-worn piece), Eric Burdon & WAR's "Spill The Wine," "House of the Rising Sun" and The Temptations' "Superstar," among others. "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" is used as a gospel ballad, replacing "Amazing Grace" (which is also sung by the team members) as the inspirational funeral tune.
If "Remember the Titans" weren't so relentless in hammering its messages home - I began to physically react every time the story tackles you with the good is good and bad is bad theme - it may have been a better film. The bold statement of "based on a true story" at the beginning precludes the taking of major liberties by the filmmakers. As such, it is relegated to being a well made, well intentioned inspirational "message movie" that not only wears its heart on its sleeve, it beats you to death with it. I got the point in the first few minutes.
Note Will Patton's performance at year's end. I give "Remember the Titans" a B-.
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