"Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion."
G. W. F. Hegel
In a review I wrote for Gone In Sixty Seconds I stated that each film Jerry Bruckheimer produces is like a shot of Tequila. One or two is fine, but after awhile you get sick of it. I do realize the man has come up with a successful formula. The reason that I do not respect him is because his films all seem the same. They are loud, flashy, cheesy, and predictable.
But one of the valuable lessons we learn in life is to not pre judge people. Once you think you know them they do something that is the total opposite of what you expect. Bruckheimer proves this with his newest venture Remember The Titans. The film is still cheesy and predictable. It also uses the same feel-good formula that he will probably never stray from very long. The big difference is that Titans actually succeeds in making us feel good. This Rocky clone does not travel down the road of stupidity like Bruckheimer’s Armageddon, Sixty Seconds, or Coyote Ugly. The film aims straight for the heart and hits that target head on.
The year is 1971 and the film follows the true story of the integration of T.C. Williams High School deep in the city of prejudice, Alexandria, VA. The town is not too happy about the football team combining black and white players together. They are even more outraged when black football coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is brought in to take over the job of head coach from a coaching legend, Bill Yoast (Will Patton). Yoast originally thinks about leaving and taking other coaching offers, but decides to stay on as an assistant because he loves his players. We can see right away that the traditional coaching practices of Yoast and the tough, Lombardi type coaching of Boone will clash. Boone is a great mediator of this tension and the integrated players not only become keen to the game of football but also to life and are willing to breakdown their racial barriers.
When the school board plans to fire coach Boone at the first sign of the team’s struggle, it is up to the T.C. Williams Titans to become invincible in every aspect of the game. I don’t think I need to tell you anymore. Anyone who has seen any of the Rocky’s or Hoosiers knows what the ending will be.
The film, wonderfully directed by Boaz Yakin, examines the racial turmoil in the South in a very fine fashion. Those who lived through the turmoil can remember the wrongs and injustice that occurred. Those who were not alive can get a glimpse of a time in history many would rather forget. It also teaches valuable lessons about unity and forgiveness.
What the film really lacks though is originality. It may be based on a true story but when you can tell what is going to happen minutes beforehand it takes the suspense away. This feel-good sports formula has been used so much that it can not help but be predictable and sappy. How long this formula will continue to be popular is a question that some in Hollywood are probably asking. We don’t see the great performances in most movies following this formula though and that is where Titans charges past the competition. Denzel Washington communicates Boone’s strong philosophies just as strongly as he did in his Oscar nominated roles as Ruben “Hurricane” Carter and Malcom X. That is not to say that the Titans script, written by Gregory Allen Howard, is as good in quality.
Maybe what makes Remember The Titans successful is that it brings the great and meaningful family movie back into our cinemas. In cinemas full of R and unfamily oriented PG-13 films, the PG rated Titans stands out in the crowd.
While on the surface, high school football may seem like an innocent game played by the young, for the young, it is, in fact, much, much more.More at eCOST.com
Based on a remarkable true story, Remember The Titans follows the explosive cinematic events that took place in Alexandria, Virginia in 1971 when Afri...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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