Rent Remember the Titans on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Gregory Allen Howard
Directed by: Boaz Yakin
Starring: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst, Donald Faison, Ethan Suplee, Hayden Panettiere, Kate Bosworth, Ryan Gosling
Rated: PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
The true story of a newly appointed African-American coach and his high school team on their first season as a racially integrated unit.
Verdict
This uses football as a vehicle to discuss race. Football players overcomes their differences to become a team, but they still have to face a community that wants to see them fail. Coach Boone helps his players see past race, but the white community is against him. What makes this more than just a sports movie is the message. We see people overcome their bigoted views, and that's more exciting then seeing the team win games. It's aspirational, showing the audience that with the right situation humans can overcome their differences. Unfortunately life isn't always that easy.
Watch It.
Review
It's 1971, the first year of integration at a Virginia high school. Coach Boone (Denzel Washington) comes in as the assistant coach under Coach Yoast (Will Patton) but is soon moved to head coach as there aren't any other black head coaches. He displaces a great head coach, revered by the town. There's a lot of racism in this movie. White players refuse to play under Coach Boone, and Coach Boone knows all eyes are on him. The white leaders of the town are looking for him to make any mistake. The town is divided, and everyone is forced into this contentious situation.
 |
| Will Patton, Denzel Washington play Coach Yoast, Coach Boone |
Coach Boone breaks camp and tells his players the best will play. He's tough on the players, but we soon realize he's trying to tire them out so that they'll concentrate more on the game and not race. The bus ride back fro camp is much different than the ride up. We see a group of guys that are a team. They're even friendly. Overcoming race is about getting to know people, and Coach Boone managed to get his players to learn about each other though it took force initially. While we've seen the team bond, they come back to a town that's as divided as it was before. The team changed, but the world didn't.
 |
| Ryan Hurst, Wood Harris play Gerry Bertier, Julius Campbell |
The main players on the team are Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst) and Julius Campbell (Wood Harris). They're just short of enemies at the start, but soon become best friends. It shows what getting to know someone can accomplish. Gerry has to break with his friends and family, as they don't condone Gerry's friendship.
The movie has has stakes, much higher than most sports movies. This isn't about a football game. Coach Boone is risking not only his employment, but his family's safety. While Coach Yoast wanted to get his job back, he refuses to railroad Coach Boone. Yoast begins to believe in Boone's methods just as Boone begins to believe that Yoast isn't out to upend him. Their relationship starts out rocky, but nearing the end of the movie they're fighting for the same thing.
The players overcoming their differences are encapsulated in Julius and Gerry as they change from adversaries to the best of friends. This is a racist town. Integrating doesn't instantly remove bias. Coach Boone has to overcome communal hate, and he does that through winning football games and expecting perfection from his players. Coach Boone wins over his players and the town. If only real life were this easy. If only the problems of racism in the seventies didn't still persist.
No comments :
Post a Comment