Proves good movies don't have to have "R" ratings

Rating: 10/10 (30 September 2000)

Denzel Washington delivers another powerful performance playing a true-life role, this time as a high school football coach in a small Virginia town. Set in 1971 against a backdrop of forced integration and mandatory bussing, Washington's character, Coach Boone, struggles to take two teams, one white and one black, and build one winning team out of them. The movie deals with the stereotypes and racial prejudices so prevalent at the time, huge obstacles in the path of one man who just wants to win football games. Adding fuel to the fire of hatred is affirmative action, which places Boone in the head coaching position over the town's hall of fame white coach, Yoast. Despite these obstacles Boone manages to unite the team, staff, and eventually the town while he leads the Titans to victory, learning along the way some lessons of his own. This isn't your typical Jerry Bruckheimer film. There aren't any big budget special effects or high-tech glitz. Instead there is solid acting built around an outstanding screenplay. The characters are extraordinarily well developed, with great depth, which is no surprise since they are based on living people. Perhaps the biggest fault of this movie is that there was no slow part during which to slip out of the theater. Get your snacks and visit the washroom before the movie starts, because there isn't a second of this excellent movie you can stand to miss.