“A smashing phenomenon.”—Robert Duffee 

“A breathtaking “timeout” from a world of racial inequality and discrimination. Coach Boone …didn’t coach football, he coached the players. This film taught me that not all football movies are dumb.”—John Dittmar 

“If it were up to me, I would pick it as movie of the year.”—Chad Hamilton 

“…Titans teaches a good lesson…it uses the game of football to teach us to look past a person’s color and to get to know them before (we) judge them.”—Kristina Konchalski 

 “I found it hard to stop humming ‘Goodbye’…Titans is a movie for the family and deserves to be in everyone’s VCR/DVD collection.”—Clay Sinclair 

“I was glad to see a change in the (team’s racist) attitudes.”—Donny Moore 

“(The Titans) got a new black coach that makes the team get along. The next thing you know they come out dancing on the field.”—Allen Schronk 

“(Football Coach) Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) taught the (Titans) a valuable lesson about becoming men while he taught them how to win.”—Megan Reiman 

“…actors had to learn how to play football.”—Robbie Seay 

“The opponent was a town torn apart by prejudice. (Screenwriter) Gregory Allen Howard (wrote) some excellent lines for the actors.”—Denisse Perez

“Titans shows how fast… people can change their lives in just a couple of weeks.”—Steven Nacol

“…you’ll be thrilled and excited as the Titans rule the field.”—Michael Vanden 

“It took a lot of hard work and patience to make a movie as good as Remember the Titans.”—Kelli Jackson 

“…dancing in front of other teams took a lot of courage. But what got to me were all the flips and tackles. They were amazing because the camera angles were good.”—Luis Vasquez 

“…it was funny and exciting.”—Candace Tisdale 

 “…most people think that it is only about football, but it’s not. You can’t judge someone because of his color; you need to get to know a person inside, not just outside.”—Jennifer Taylor 

 “I also learned that all you have to do is believe in yourself.”—Andy Frazier 

“This is a good movie even if you don’t like football.”—Steven James 

“In the beginning, it was a little boring; then it started to pick up…”—Lisa Marsh 

 “My over-all rating for this film is a C+. This would be a good movie for kindergarten.”—Anthony Hamby 

“…the actors gave it their all and made the viewer think that they knew everything …about football..”—Nicci Britten 

 “Coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is given the difficult task of being head coach of the Titans. The real test is making an ocean out of a few raindrops. The raindrops all come from the same cloud, but that doesn’t mean they all fall in the same puddle.”—Tiffany Dieringer 

The Movie Review Unit was designed to use the student’s interests in movies to help him or her improve writing skills and computer skills using programs like Microsoft Word, database, spreadsheet, and PowerPoint.  The unit began with students brainstorming about movies they liked and didn’t like and why they felt that way. The students were then introduced to several websites where reviews, movie summaries, film star biographies, and production notes were posted. The unit was designed to use information about the recently released movie, Remember the Titans. This movie was chosen because it was released on video the day before the classes watched it, and few students had seen it at the theater. After viewing the film, the students wrote their reviews using a guide prepared by the teacher.  Elements to be addressed in the reviews included identifying the main character, opponent, goal of the movie, growth of the main character, any special contributions made by the actors, as well as how the movie affected the student emotionally and what each might have learned from viewing it. The next part of the unit will allow each student to do an independent review of an appropriate movie of their choice using the PowerPoint program.  The unit will end with the creation of a database of movie information and the creation of a spreadsheet using information about movie cost versus income.  

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Review by Jessie Jordan

The year is 1971 and in Alexandria, Virginia, high school football is a way of life. The Titans are ruled by soul power and only want victory. Denzel Washington’s (Coach Herman Boone) performance shines in this inspiring film about finding friends in unexpected places, even if it means risking one's reputation, and achieving a common goal; perfection.

After a black and white school merge, Coach Bill Yoast is demoted after a fifteen season winning streak, and replaced by a black coach, Herman Boone. Yoast and Boone later learn to respect and, eventually, like each other. Throughout this heroic real life drama, the talented Boone transforms hostile individuals into a group of self-worthy people. The Titans rule their field with offbeat humor as they win the state championship.

Herman Boone grows in many ways while he strives to make himself more liked by his players and staff. His spirit in many ways changes as he discovers that there is more to life than winning and losing; it is the in between that really counts. At the beginning, Coach Boone warned Coach Yoast that he came to win and that quote did stay true, but he discovered that accepting each other and believing in yourself is just as important. He was able to put aside his former grudges against Coach Yoast and even said that Yoast was in the Hall of Fame in his book. This is where I think they actually became friends and understood, or at least tried to understand, what the other was facing.

Remember the Titans was so cleverly directed and written that I found myself talking about this movie throughout the day, sometimes even quoting its quirky characters. I spoke with several people who had not seen this film, and I instantly recommend that they see it. From this film, directed by Boaz Yakin and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, I learned how difficult it was for blacks in Virginia. I always knew that there was friction and mistrust between blacks and whites in the 70s, but I did not know it was this intense. The film also taught me how hard it is for actors to do the stunts, such as tackles and that sort of thing. The actors actually had to go to a football camp, which I find very interesting because in the film, the players had to attend a camp also.

This movie was outstanding; it affected me emotionally with all the action and the deeply moving story line. There was more to this film than football. The roots went deeper than that; there were fights, friendships, sorrow, and most of all, joy. Denzel Washington was the best choice for Coach Herman Boone. While watching this film, I thought of him as a real person, that is how brilliantly he played his role. The facial expressions he used brought his character to life for me. The witty remarks that he made were also real life. There is not a football coach that is not sarcastic at some point. Washington also portrayed the tough man role exceptionally well; he knew when to be serious and acted immediately. To reach the goal of winning the state championship, Titan players have to overcome their differences, such as when a player and the team captain talk about how someone needs to block for another player. Coach Boone inspires the players by doing motivating drills, and his devotion to them shows the players how much he really cares.

In the beginning, the two races were against each other, every player was an opponent to the other. Boone’s personal opponent was a variety of people ranging form the former head coach to the white players and even some of the black players.

I can without a shadow of a doubt, guarantee that you too will like Remember the Titans.

REVIEWS BY:

“The special effects were wonderful. The thud of football players clashing together, the breaking of glass.”—Jennifer Sheffield 

“Although Washington did a super job, you have to hand it to Will Patton; he was also excellent.”—Brandon Yates 

“One moment that made me laugh was when the whole team came out dancing as a warm-up instead of the usual.”—DeAndra Collins 

“Ryan Hurst did an excellent job of playing Gary Bertier, a player who was unsure about blacks but …realized the only people they were hating were their brothers.”—Amanda Robinson 

“Yes, I did talk about the movie all weekend!”—Heather Vincent 

“Denzel Washington plays one of his best roles…”—Rob McKinley 

“Ethan Suplee’s performance is outstanding, the way he performs as a white man who likes blacks makes you feel good inside.”—Mitchell Davis 

“I learned about good sportsmanship.”—Tim Emerson 

“When they went to camp, it took a spectacular speech to bring them together. …there is a song that is stuck in my head.”—Josh Bowley 

“Denzel Washington was…the best to play Coach Boone.”—Matt Hopson 

“I…told my mom…that we need to see it together.”—James McCraney 

“…Titans has a story line that goes straight to the heart. One thing I’ve learned …is that a movie based on an older theme doesn’t always have to be boring.”—David Skero 

“I always sing the song about the Titans.”—Carlos Banuelos 

“This movie took a lot of acting, but it wasn’t obvious.”—Margarita Martinez 

“What I learned from this movie was that being a black person was hard back then.”—Ariana Casarrubias 

“…it doesn’t matter what you look like, …it takes a team to do something right.”—Casey Bowen 

“Gary (Bertier) found some Olympic games that he could do in a wheelchair. Gary was not a quitter; he was a champion.”—Cassy LoRanger