Remember the Titans Film Review

Warning:  may contain spoilers.  

Remember the Titans was released in the year 2000 on September 29^th.  It is one hundred and thirteen minutes long and requires parental guidance.  There were six different producers for the making of this film.  Their names were Jerry Bruckheimer (producer), Michael Flynn (executive producer), Jennifer Krug-Worthington (associate producer), Chad Oman (producer), Pat Sandston (associate producer), and Mike Stenson (executive producer).  It reached a rating of 7.7 out of 10 (“Remember the Titans”).  The director of this film is Boaz Yakin, and it was written by Gregory Allen Howard.  Trevor Rabin did the music, and the amazing cinematography was by Philippe Rousselot.  In all, it is a biography, drama, and sport movie.    

There were a lot of characters in the making of this film.  Some of the main ones were Denzel Washington as Coach Herman Boone, Will Patton as Coach Bill Yoast, Wood Harris as Julius Campbell, Ryan Hurst as Gerry Bertier, Donald Faison as Petey Jones, Craig Kirkwood as Jerry 'Rev' Harris, Ethan Suplee as Louie Lastik, and Kip Pardue as Ronnie 'Sunshine' Bass (“Remember the Titans”).  There were, of course, many other characters, but the ones listed are the major ones in the film.

This was a movie of decent length, but had a lot of things going on in it.  This is a movie based on actual events that happened in 1971 Alexandria, Virginia.  The students of other races are integrated into T.C. Williams High School because the government wanted integration.  There is a controversy because a black coach (Boone) was made head captain of the football team over a white coach (Yoast).  At first, nobody got along.  Later in the movie, after each trial, men of different color began to communicate with each other and became friends.  It is through the school’s mixed football team that everyone in the community gets their eyes awakened about the concept of race. As Coach Yoast said in the film to the team, “You taught this city how to trust a soul of man rather than the look of him” (Remember the Titans).  It is through the dedication and passion of football all the men have that gets them through tough times.

There are many different film techniques used in this film.  In the film, there are a lot of mid-shots with a slight low angle, making the person in the shot seem more dominant.  An example of this would be scenes with Boone.  The people watching the movie see Boone as the players see him, strong and dominant.  Over the shoulder and long shots are also used in the film.  These shots helped in differentiating the two races.  In the bus scene with Boone, Gerry and Ray, it shows that Boone was on his own while the members of the white race were in groups.  The viewers of the movie are seeing this scene through the perspective of the white people.  Long shots determine the general setting and the distance between characters. 

In the talk between Ray and Petey, there is a clash between two races.  The two are getting to know each other because of the order from Boone.  Things do not go as well.  It can be seen clearly through the long shot.  Over the shoulder shots are pretty helpful.  In the scene with the bar owner, Petey, Sunshine, and Blue, the viewers are seeing through the eyes of Petey because he did not want to go in (Literacy01). Finally, in the gym scene with the entire team, there is a high angle shot that shows perfectly how the entire team is united.  A low angle shot would not have shown this.  At the end of the movie, when the Titans win, there are dramatic close ups and long shots to show what the people and players are feeling.  The camera angles (as well as the special effects) showed the artistic techniques used in the film.

Throughout the whole movie, there are many ways music is being used.  The whole soundtrack is superb. In the locker rooms at Gettysburg College, they (the team) sing to feel close to one another.  They bond over the football camp by huddling and the dramatic instrumentals helped empower the scene.  There is another scene that takes place in the high school gym.  They call a team meeting without the coaches and come together on their own.  This has the huddling and dramatic music.  It is by their third game where the Titans make their elaborate entrance.  They come as one and then sing their song, “We are the Titians!”  In the middle of the movie, where there is news showing of how the Titans are becoming unbeatable, the music then is lighthearted and fun.  Throughout the film in the background there is the song, “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.”  This song is prominent at the end of the movie at Gerry’s funeral.  This was one of the songs that helped unite the Titans.  It is realized that throughout the whole film, the music helps contribute to the emotions that are trying to be portrayed by the main characters.  

There are some aspects of the film that did not go well.  Actually, it was Coach Boone.  More often than not, he seemed to only care about himself than his players.  This became more prominent when he was out on the football field at night time in the one scene.  All he could think about was winning the game, not about accepting each other of the opposite race.  Sure, when they were at Gettysburg College for camp, he forced them to talk and get to know each other.  They key word was forced.  The coach did nothing to bond the team.  It was the players themselves.  Julius and Gerry become best of friends on their own.  Furthermore, when Sunshine came to camp, he literally brought light to the team.  After that, the bonding was more prominent.  It seemed that the nickname, Sunshine, was on purpose.  It could be a metaphor for what really happens.  When Sunshine made the mistake of taking colored friends in the bar, and the bar kicked them out, the unity the players had was crumbling.  There was no sunshine in the scene.  In all, Coach Boone does have some good qualities about him, but he could get too prideful and ambitious at times.

Over all, it was a great movie.  Remember the Titans is a classic, and it made its own touchdown in the hearts of many people.  It does not fall into prey with the stereotypical football movie.  The characters were portrayed in a way that the viewers would never forget them.  All the players can be identified and related to the viewers of the film.  It shows that the players bonded over a common sport that they liked.  One favorite part is that when Gerry gets into the car accident, Julius comes to visit him.  The nurse said that only family members are allowed.  Gerry replied, “Alice, are you blind?  Can’t you see the resemblance?  That’s my brother” (Remember the Titans).  It was moments like these that put lumps in the viewers’ throats with emotion.  This movie was inspirational, powerful, and emotional.  It showed the struggles the players faced and the courage that was needed to overcome them.

Film critics have mixed feelings on the film.  Roger Ebert wrote, “The movie is heartfelt, yes, and I was moved by it, but it plays safe. On the soundtrack we hear lyrics like "I've seen fire and I've seen rain" and "Ain't no mountain high enough," but not other lyrics that must also have been heard in Alexandria in 1971, like "We shall overcome." (Ebert).  Like said previously, the music has a big impact on the film.  What this film critic is trying to convey is that the movie, itself, was about the actual game of football.  It focused too much on the aspects of playing football rather than the prominent issue of racism.

In The Rotten Tomatoes, there is a section where the critiques of all the critics are put into one general critique.  It said, “Critics Consensus: An inspirational crowd-pleaser with a healthy dose of social commentary, Remember the Titans may be predictable, but it's also well-crafted and features terrific performances” (Critics Consensus).  This view is generally what a lot of people think of the movie.  It goes towards being a stereotypical movie, but stops itself. 

There is a scholar that wrote heavily on the impact of music in Remember the Titans and the song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."  The author did not outright say it, but gravely implied that the impact of music was so great, that it took out the line between the black and white communities and told it to sit on the bench for the rest of the season.  The scholar wrote:

The soundtrack artfully represents their reconciliation by having all the players embrace the same music---decidedly not the country twang that Alan introduced, but instead the soul and rhythm-and-blues tracks that the black players brought…country music is square, unhip, gangly, and hopelessly out of touch with contemporary middle-class youth culture.  Even worse, country music is decidedly working-class in its cultural connotations, and while it might be enjoyed by moviegoers as a novelty, it is Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s Motown version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” that brings together black and white listeners, both on-screen and in the audience (Neal 555-556).

Gaye and Terrell produced a lot of hit singles in the late 60’s (“Classic Motown”).  The movie took place in ’71 so for the players on the team in the movie, the influence was pretty recent.  This shows how Rhythm and Blues influenced the hearts of many people, no matter what the color.  The meaning was the same, and it brought people together more than a tackle did.   

            In all, Remember the Titans is a film that a person would not mind watching over again.  There is a reason why it is rated PG, and it is not for the obvious reasons of language and violence.  This is a desensitized movie, meaning that it does not focus on the main issue.  It just glazes over it to make the issue seem simple.  It is not recommended that a viewer takes what they see in this movie and think that that is what real life is like.  The purpose of all movies might be different, but this one is to entertain and raise awareness.  It does not tackle, pun intended, the main issue at hand.  It is an inspiring and moving film that everyone should watch at least once in their lifetime.

Works Cited

"Classic Motown." Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell. Classic Motown, n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2015.

Critics Consensus. "Remember the Titans." Rotten Tomatoes, n.d. Web.

Ebert, Roger. "Remember The Titans Movie Review (2000)." All Content. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2015.

Literacy01. "Remember the Titans Film Techniques." Remember the Titans Film Techniques. Slideshare, 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 01 Apr. 2015.

Neal, Jocelyn R. "Dancing Around The Subject: Race In Country Fan Culture." Musical Quarterly 89.4 (2006): 555-579. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.

"Remember the Titans." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2015.

Remember the Titans. Dir. Boaz Yakin. 2000. DVD.