Barnes & Noble

A rousing roller-coaster drama based on real-life events, Remember the Titans is one football movie in which the gridiron grappling is subservient to vivid characterizations and dynamic performances. The story opens in 1971 at an Alexandria, Virginia, high school, where African-American football coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) arrives to take charge of a newly integrated and still unruly squad. Both black and white students dislike and distrust each other, but by force of will Boone gradually breaks down the invisible walls they’ve erected and forges them into an unbeatable team. Remember the Titans doesn’t altogether dispense with cliché: It contains the predictable locker-room hijinks, a win-one-for-the-Gipper moment, and the inevitable Big Game to be won in the last reel. But director Boaz Yakin (Fresh) seems more interested in Boone’s refusal to succumb to prejudice and his dogged attempt to build a winning team. Washington commands the screen with his forceful, electric portrayal, but second-billed Will Patton is equally compelling as Bill Yoast, the head coach demoted as a result of Boone's hiring. Mindful of crowd-pleasing conventions but not devoted to them, Remember the Titans complements its gridiron action with an uplifting message conveyed in a memorable, entertaining way. The DVD includes audio commentary by real-life coaches Herman Boone and Bill Yoast, deleted scenes, a production featurette, theatrical trailers, and behind-the-scenes footage. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

A high school football coach finds himself fighting for stakes much higher than the State Championship in this drama based on actual events. In 1971, a court order forces three high schools in Alexandria, Virginia (two white, one African-American), to integrate their student bodies and faculties for the first time. As a result, Coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton), longtime head coach of the T.C. Williams High School football team, is asked to step down, and Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is appointed to replace him as the school's first black faculty member. The new coach is hardly welcomed with open arms, either by the school's staff or the students, and the newly integrated team is full of players (both black and white) who have little trust or respect for one another. But Boone is determined to put a winning team on the field -- it's how he approaches the game, and his future depends on it. Against long odds, Boone helps his team overcome distrust and misunderstanding of their coach (and each other) as they become a gridiron force to be reckoned with. Remember the Titans also features Nicole Ari Parker, Kate Bosworth, and Jerry Brandt, and was produced by action-film kingpin Jerry Bruckheimer. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 786936144727
• Source: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital, THX-Supervised Mastering
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 1:54:00
• Sales Rank: 9,277

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