One brief shining moment

Rating: Null/10 (4 December 2000)

"Remember the Titans" starts out with a group of people revisiting the gravesite of an old friend and then whisks us back ten years in time. This is a film with 'formula' written all over it, from the team that wins against all odds, to the bigger than life Coach Boone (skillfullly played by Denzel Washington) who rules with an iron hand, to the tragic accident before the big game, and finally to the hero who comes off the bench. Yet, "Remember the Titans" excels at the very things that 'Coach' would expect - great acting and a memorable story. At the heart of this film are human beings trying to figure out how to live with each other - be it getting a team together to win, finding the courage to follow one's convictions, or doing what is morally right rather than following the crowd. The only blemish is that the film glorifies the mistaken obsession, as prevalent today as ever, that in high school sports winning is everything and losing is not an option. There are many poignant scenes, two that are particularly revealing involve the little girl, Sheryl, (well acted by Hayden Panettiere) once when she is sobbing in a lonely grandstand with her father Coach Yoast (in a strong performance by Will Patton) after he has told her he will not be elected to the Hall of Fame because he could not allow the officials to corrupt his game, and the second when she stares down at her father to swallow his pride if he wants to win the game. "Remember the Titans" spends a lot of focusing on the moment. Black and white players forced to interview each other about their families, two white 'outsider' players who blend in so naturally with their black teammates even as the white players are floored by what they see, the stern warning Coach Boone gives to his fellow coach not to cuddle the black player lest they become crippled to deal with real life situations. Because the film deals with the moment, it is disappointing that few of the participants become bigger stars after their unbelievable triumph including the two coaches who never eclipse their particular glory. Uplifting, inspiring, healing are all appropriate words for "Remember the Titans", a film that freezes a golden moment in a Virginia town for all of us to savor.