"I'm not the answer to your prayers. I'm not Martin Luther King ... I'm just a football coach

The Media:

"There are wonderful moments on the edges of the narrative, some beautifully choreographed football scenes, several excellent performances and the usual subtle brilliance from Denzel Washington."
To really enjoy Remember The Titans involves the willing suspension of disbelief in a big way. The viewer must watch these racially-charged events, set 30 years ago, with a sense of relief that things have changed so much in the present day, which, of course, they have not. On the other hand, the film probably has educational and historical value for young adolescents; 12-year-olds should see this movie, particularly as it seems aimed at that audience."
-- Liz Braun, JAM! MOVIES

"T.C. Williams High School - Alexandria, Va. - 1971. Racial integration comes to the suburbs in the new Disney movie, "Remember the Titans." Based on a true story, this high school's football squad (nicknamed the Titans), during this most unusual year, proved themselves to be winners in the grandest sense of the word, not only by their accomplishments on the gridiron, but also by their successes in the higher stakes game of life.

[...]

Denzel Washington ("The Hurricane") stars as Herman Boone, who is pulled into this Maelstrom of prejudicial hatred by his politically motivated appointment to the position of head coach of the Titans, replacing the popular and successful Caucasian coach, Bill Yoast (Will Patton, "Gone in 60 Seconds"). Yoast, after considerable soul searching, decides to stay on as Boone's assistant coach and defensive coordinator in order to keep the white players from boycotting the season (and thus sacrificing potential college scholarships) in protest.

[...]

After their summer camp where they managed to forge an understanding and form a working relationship with each other, they return to town where the racial tension remains dangerously high. The teammates must decide whether they will risk alienation from their own race in order to maintain the tenuous team unity which was built over the summer.

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And what an inspiring story it is ... on so many different levels. Through Coach Boone we see the qualities of inner strength and conviction, the importance of preparation and planning, and the unwillingness to accept anything other than the best from himself as well as from those who work for him.

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In contrast, and in an apparent nod to our "tolerant" times, there is an minor subplot dealing with a player who may be a homosexual, giving the team one more prejudicial obstacle to overcome. The unspoken allusion is that sexual preference, like skin color, is hereditary. In this, the film errs as there is no scientific evidence to prove this supposition and lots of spiritual evidence to refute it. It is, however, a minor element, lasting only a few minutes in the film.

Perhaps the most important thing we learn is that the color of one's skin doesn't matter a whit. This is by far the most valuable lesson of the film and the one which has the greatest impact because it isn't preached or sermonized with grandiose verbiage. It is simply lived by those on the screen. It is displayed for us through these characters who grew to understand, appreciate and love one another ... not for what they were but for who they were. The Titans. May they always be remembered.
--Michael Elliott--

"Too bad the rest of the film isn’t up to the exacting standards of its lead actors."
-- Philip Booth, ORLANDO WEEKLY

The film's unwavering naive optimism might be forgivable if it didn't claim to tell a tale "based on a true story." While various critics have pointed out the film's numerous historical inaccuracies, the social and political sugar-coating that takes place is even more disturbing. In one locker room scene, racial tension is first escalated by a black player insulting a white player's mother. When the white player gets the joke, however, he responds in kind and black and white alike enjoy a unifying, hearty laugh. In another locker room scene, the new transfer quarterback (Kip Pardue), embarrasses defensive star Gary Bertier (Ryan Hurst) by kissing him. Although the film makes numerous references to the quarterback's homosexuality, the kiss is treated as a harmless prank and the quarterback — called "Sunshine" — is fully accepted as one of the guys. While football may be an exclusively homosocial activity, it is anxiously heterosexual, at least in public. Like the military, the unwritten rules of football encourage all things "manly" and strictly preclude any homosexual or feminine behavior. Yet Remember the Titans glosses over any semblance of conflict with its unfailingly positive depiction of a team in harmony. "
--by Tobias Peterson / PopMatters Film Critic

"The script is very good in convincingly portraying the way the teammates learn to trust one another, overcome their prejudices and even laugh at the absurdity of racism."
-- William Arnold, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

"The film is a lot about character and a little about football. Not a single boring, slow, or unnecessary second. I loved it. "
-- Ross Anthony, HOLLYWOOD REPORT CARD

"The movie is so well-acted, with Will Patton's performance in particular so quietly engaging, that we have to give the ensemble credit for turning in an enjoyable and heartwarming film."
-- Harvey S. Karten, COMPUSERVE