REVIEW: Remember The Titans (Released in 2000) [20th Anniversary]

DIRECTOR: Boaz Yakin

PRODUCERS:

WRITER: Gregory Allen Howard

PERFORMERS: Denzel Washington Will Patton Hayden Pannitere Donald Faison Ryan Hurst

Wood Harris Craig Kirkwood Ethan Suplee Kip Paudre Ryan Gosling

Denzel Washington has always been one of my favorite actors. His performances are flawless, believable and raw. One thing I enjoy most about his body of work is his portrayal of real life figures... From Malcolm X to Rubin "Hurricane" Carter there's no one quite like him and in this film in particular, he shows he can pull off an honest performance in the likes of a family film released by one of the biggest and legendary entertainment empires in the world. Remember The Titans is a film to be celebrated by all kinds of athletes whether by profession and at heart.

I remember infinty when this film first came out, I was in high school in the middle of my senior year. I was playing for the Football Team in my second year with them as a nose guard for the punt return team. Every moment I spent out there on that field I played like it would be my last, as every athlete does. The time I spent with the team was also quite memorable. We were invited to this incredible Preview screening of the film at the Rose Bowl Stadium, it was the first time I had ever been to such an event and it was also the first time I saw in the flesh... the man himself... Mr. Denzel Washington!!! Kids, cheerleaders and Football players were screaming and chanting his name all over. My heart had raced in several different directions as he was chanting on the film being about us athletes, never have I been so entranced in a man's words as I was in his at the time. Then the film began to play a few moments later and I found myself tranced into a story about two different worlds coming together for a common purpose as well as two men of the same profession coming together and collaborating to create something so special that the entire town and community would follow them the way the first disciples of Jesus Christ followed him when they dropped their nets and became fishers of men (MARK 1:17).

Not only is this film about athletes, it's about people from all walks of life and how much of a difference can be made when race is left out of the equation. you have a white team, a black team and a town driven by divided sides based on race. But when Washington's Herman Boone comes into town, things change and you pretty much know what your in for from that point on. Will Patton also gives a heartfelt performance as Coach Bill Yoast who goes through perhaps the most change as he develops from reluctant to willing. He loves his job, he's super excited to be recognized for his work in the Hall of Fame and suddenly priorities start to shift when he decides to work as Assistant Head Coach under the leadership of Boone, something he doesn't want to do at first but warms up to it as time goes on. Then he gives up his desire for the Hall of Fame for the sake of the newly integrated T.C. Williams Football team and gains something better, when you think about it what he he goes through is exactly the same thing as the rest of us do (MATTHEW 16:24).

To see these young men become unified as a team is just refreshing for the soul and mind and because of it's sports reference makes it all the more inspiring. One scene in particular I used to and still enjoy the most is the players meeting scene where the team meets up and recall the time they came together in Football Camp, only to return to a lost world full of cultural misunderstanding, unnecessary hatred and racial injustice. As one teammate tells goes on about their accomplishments, he reminds them that it means nothing in the real world compared to the world of high school and it's enough to bring them to the point to reunite as a whole for their next game and as they gather up together chanting, you cheer with them and you get so excited you can't wait to see what happens next and when it does you forget you're watching a movie, you think you're watching something real. That's how great this film is and that's how much of an affect it can have on you. That's Disney film magic in a nutshell!

To conclude, Remember The Titans is a film full of major accomplishment and perseverance through all odds. Even near the end you feel for these men and you think you're them because if you were an athlete in school, regardless of age, talent, skills and/or sport, you are right because you were them at one point! When you see these guys go through what they go through it triggers a memory in your past lifetime when you were at you best playing on a team when color didn't matter and skills did. I remember playing for a basketball team in my youth and I was considered the best defensive man on the team. Every sport I played from that to Football, I had that motivation of delivering the best effort possible as I went along. I believe all of us did when we played for the sporting teams we did in our youths and when this film came out, I had even more reason to work as hard as I did and by the time the season was over, it paid off. This wasn't just about a Football team or two men learning to overcome their differences, this was about people, about unity, about coming together and working together as one. There's no better feeling than that wouldn't you say? Happy 20th Anniversary to Remember The Titans!!! #rememberthetitans20thanniversary #RTT20 #disneyfilms #anniversaryedition #filmsof2000