Why I Love…Remember The Titans

There’s one film which I could watch over and over, and still shed a tear for – Remember the Titans. I’ve never been one for American football, but this film is much more than about the sport. It is about acceptance and equality.

Set in the time of segregation, a black, and a white school are forced to integrate. Along with this, the football teams are joined together, as well as the coaches. Of course, it starts out being a battle based on skin colour, but after a training camp away, it seems like everyone is on the same page – shame the same can’t be said for the rest of the school.

Through the team’s success, the town seems to find common ground. Maybe its just because of the winning, but it seems like the students are teaching the rest of the town how to see what’s on the inside and not the outside.

The main two reasons behind this, is the friendship between certain members of the team. Firstly the coaches who seem at war with each other. One takes the defence, the other the offence. They realise that without each other, the team won’t continue with the winning ways that they have started. It is a case of knowing how the other one lives. The white coach has seemingly a good life, whereas the black coach is still receiving threats from the townspeople. It isn’t until their daughters are involved that the white coach realises what the black coach goes through on a daily basis.

But its the relationship between the two ‘Captains’ of the team that turns things around. They start out not liking each other at all, but over the course of the film, develop an undying respect for each other – even going as far as to calling the other one brother. It’s a very sweet relationship, and one which the film is based around. An incident happens near the end of the film, and it ALWAYS makes me well up – you’ll know it if you’ve seen it, and you will know it WHEN you see it. I always know its coming, but it never stops me from tearing up.

The film is just an inspiration film, one which tells you it’s about what’s on the inside that counts. It you haven’t seen it, you should. If you have seen it, you should watch it again.

Remember the Titans is directed by Boaz Yakin, and stars Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Craig Kirkwood, Donald Faison, and Ethan Suplee.