The script was amusing, thoughtful, and deep enough for teens.The moral of the story is that individual differences and conflicts should be subsumed by the over-riding team goal (in this case, winning a football championship). The events take place in 1971, based on a true situation; it did not seem overly dated 20 years later, but now it would probably be considered overly nostalgic and not PC enough, even though the purpose of the movie is to show the teens becoming more accepting of people who aren't "like them," and succeeds.

We used this in BSA Woodbadge training (adult leaders) in the late 1990s to demonstrate the values of teamwork, and the difficulties in accomplishing it. ( )

Set in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1971, the fact-based story begins with the integration of black and white students at T. C. Williams High School. This effort to improve race relations is most keenly felt on the school's football team, the Titans, and bigoted tempers flare when a black head coach (Washington) is appointed and his victorious predecessor (Will Patton) reluctantly stays on as his assistant. It's affirmative action at its most potentially volatile, complicated by the mandate that the coach will be fired if he loses a single game in the Titans' 13-game season. The players represent a hotbed of racial tension, but as the team struggles toward unity and gridiron glory, Remember the Titans builds on several subplots and character dynamics to become an inspirational drama of Rocky-like proportions. ( )

(Director's Cut) (2000)
Starring: Denzel Washington, Will Patton Director: Boaz Yakin Rating UNRATED