Well worth a trip to the theatre.

Rating: 7/10 (24 May 2001)

We seem to have set a similar standard for sports movies these days. A team in doubt gets a new coach, and suddenly their self confidence is boosted. The players go on to win a few games and advance to the finals. You see the tension when they off on the wrong foot, but in the end, they always win. Thankfully, this is not the case Remember the Titans. Well, maybe a little.
Titans, a Jerry Bruckheimer production, is the true story of African-American high school football coach, Herman Boone (Denzel Washington), who had to build a football team from the roots of racism. Boone's first inference is that half his players are white, and the other half black. The players, ignorant to the other kind, refuse to even cooperate with each other. This sends Herman Boone, along with Assistant coach Yoast (Will Patton), on a mission to force his players to get along. Through extensive exercising, and a lot of prep-talk, Boone manages to create one talented -- and most importantly Â–- colorless team.
What separates this film, from most sports movies, is has less to do with football, and much ado with the ignorant community. The locals cannot even begin to understand how two opposing races can work together. Ignorance from the white residents tries to dissolve that black coach they've heard about, and prevent their kids from playing with those `monkeys.'
All this works well with the actors, though young and inexperienced, give fantastic performances. However, the movie falls short of great with it's questionable dialogue (`Who's your daddy?' asks Coach Boone) and the failed attempt to make a story out of the coach, and assistant coaches daughters. Yoast's daughter Sheryl, a tom boy, disrupts the screen with her annoying yelling and dull character. Another flaw would be the unsatisfying film work on the field. Director Boaz Yakin game action is too simplistic, offering nothing new, and nothing surprising.
Washington, as always, is great. His charisma plays well with the audience. Overall, this film works great with Disney, and is well worth a trip to the theatre.
* * * 1/2 out of 5