This Day in Theaters: Sept. 29, 2000

Remember the Titans (2000)

There are two things this movie will be known for: being an overly inspiring sports film and Hayden Panettiere's breakout performance. Remember the Titans tells the story of a high school football team in the south coming together post-integration and overcoming prejudices both on and off the field to become champions. To top it all off Denzel Washington plays the head coach who is forced into the position by the school board, displacing the well established white coach, and working through tremendous adversity. From the start you can tell where this movie is gonna go but it is still a good ride; it also contains some of the best football scenes choreographed on the silver screen and has a rockin' soundtrack full of songs from the 60s and early 70s. We get to see these kids go from enemies, to teammates, to best friends, to champions, over the course of 100 minutes and almost everyone agrees it is a great ride.

Roger Ebert:

"Remember the Titans" is a parable about racial harmony, yoked to the formula of a sports movie. Victories over racism and victories over opposing teams alternate so quickly that sometimes we're not sure if we're cheering for tolerance or touchdowns. Real life is never this simple, but then that's what the movies are for--to improve on life, and give it the illusion of form and purpose."

But some like Paula Tatara though differently:

"...It's a pity that the script is so paint-by-numbers. 

In case you're scoring at home, there are good people and bad people. There are also black people and white people. Before it's all over, there are only good people, although they retain their original color. Given the film's general tone, it's a wonder Washington doesn't convince everyone to turn beige."

Ryan Gosling's on the sidelines daydreaming about one day being Oscar nominated

Now I do get the paint by numbers, preachy, we've seen it all before complaints but you have to remember it is a Disney picture so there is no getting around that. The preachiness does come on a bit heavy. But at its core it is a good movie and I can see it becoming somewhat of a classic. It is already on TV quite a bit and I must've seen it 7 or 8 times in high school (2001-2005). Remember the Titans has all the elements you look for in a family film and that is why I would put it up near the top of that list. I do have a few problems with the movie though. For instance it takes place in Alexandria, VA which they portray as some small southern town when in reality is a decent size D.C. suburb. They also took a few liberties by deviating away from the factual aspects of the story and modified them to fit their story but who doesn't do that. If you haven't seen this film yet, and I don't know how you couldn't, I would check the guide on the TV and find out when it is on.

IMDb Score: 7.6

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%