remembertitans

Whether you love him or hate him, I think it’s safe to say you can’t pin Denzel Washington down.
The man can simply transform himself into any character for any role, and that’s no small feat.
Whether he’s a soldier in “Glory” or even a ghost in “Heart Condition,” Washington manages to sell
every move.

In “Remember the Titans,” Washington’s acting entered into a kind of maturity. Certainly, he was
good before that, but in this essentially family-friendly Disney film, Washington sells us a very
serious part in a rather idealized, feel-good movie. Based on a true story, Washington plays the
first black football coach in a small town high school in 1972, the first year the school integrates.

He’s met by opposition on all sides and not only is he trying to get his white and black players to get
along, he’s also trying to win the respect of the white population of the town and the respect of the
former head coach he just deposed. Simply put, this is extremely mature fare from the Walt Disney
fun factory. Will Patton plays Yoast, the white coach Washington replaces. In the film, there is a
mutual respect between them within the first scenes together, even though the relationship is by
default strained.

Underneath them are a slew of players, all played by fine young actors, who must learn to value
one another, despite the color of their skin. As with most of these contemporary live-action Disney
films, the first half is a lot of laughs and lightheartedness despite the serious subject matter and the
latter half is an almost grave drama.

The football team is, of course, trying to get to the state championship but unlike most of the other
films, the struggle isn’t with an underdog team, but a biracial team. This is a nice twist on an old
formula and it adds some dramatic depth to a genre that often desperately needs it.

What is a frustration with the movie is the idealized characters and situations that virtually plague
and underscore every key dramatic moment. Most of the characters have things happen all too
conveniently to them. Yoast’s daughter starts liking Washington at just the right time, the students
proactively meet to reverse a problem at just the right time and even a horribly injured player doesn’
t have a moment of sadness or dejection.

Do I buy it? For the most part I do, mainly due to the strength of the acting and the beautiful
pacing. Also, sports are always more fun to watch in cinematic montages of the highlights of a
season without all the commercials and play setups of live games on television. To this day, I only
like sports in movies…except hockey, but that’s another story entirely.

“Remember the Titans” manages to stand out proudly and stay original in the football film genre,
and that’s no small feat given the scores of football movies that appear every year.