Frankly, I don't go to movies to get uplift and inspiration. When I feel the need to revel in the strength of the human spirit, I watch the Olympics on TV or my taped episodes of "Survivor" (particularly the ones where Richard gets naked).
Since I am an editor for The Student, however, I didn't have a choice. I settled into my seat prepared to hold my nose in disgust.
The film, directed by Boaz Yakin ("Fresh") and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer of "Coyote Ugly" and "Gone in Sixty Seconds" notoriety, is set in 1971 and is based on the true story of Herman Boone (Denzel Washington).
Boone, a black man, is hired to coach the T. C. Williams Titans, a perennial high school football powerhouse. Trouble arises because the formerly all-white T. C. Williams has just been integrated through busing, and because Boone is replacing popular, longtime coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton), who happens to be white.
Boone must overcome racial tensions in his team and within the community of Alexandria, Va. to produce a winning team that proves that blacks and whites can live in harmony.
Race relations are a hard topic to broach, artistically speaking, without being heavy-handed. "Remember the Titans" doesn't even try. Its message amounts to "racism is bad"; if we look beyond skin color, we will realize the goodness and commonality of humanity. Getting bored yet?
Strangely enough, the film works. The football sequences pack a visceral wallop. As a sports drama, "Remember the Titans" fulfills its first priority by making us care about the outcome of the season. And the simplistic script is helped tremendously by a uniformly excellent cast.
The football players are painted in cartoonish strokes, but strong actors, including Earl Poitier as the team clown/sage and Kip Pardue as the hippie quarterback, force us to care about them. Will Patton, as the crusty ex-coach who has been relegated to defensive coordinator, skillfully modulates his performance as Yoast gradually comes to respect and trust the man who has taken his job.
Washington is predictably good as Boone. I would have enjoyed his performance more if I had felt that this role challenged him in any way. From "Glory" to "Malcolm X" to "The Hurricane," Washington has embodied the noble man fighting the evils of racism. His tough-as-nails but heart-of-gold Boone is another notch in a career that has gained in prestige while decreasing in excitement.
And yet, I have to ask myself, who could be better in this role? Is it fair to judge a movie based on its star's track record?
Intelligent film critics walk a fine line between the subjective and the objective. They must look beyond their personal preferences, beyond rigid, preconceived notions of what a movie should be. Critics do not simply consider, "Do I like this movie?" The real question is, "Given what this movie is trying to do, how well does it succeed on the terms it sets?"
"Remember the Titans" tries mightily to be a sappy, rabble-rousing entertainment, and darn it if I didn't leave the theater with my sap flowing, my rabble roused and a sheepishly appreciative smile stretched across my face.
Sounds like a winner to me.