The Movie Guys: ‘Titans’ can tackle others’ feel-good flicks

Friday, Sept. 29, 2000 | 11:32 a.m.

The Movie Guys, starring Jeff Howard and Dave Neil, appears Fridays in the Sun. They can also be seen on the 11 a.m. Friday newscast on KVVU Channel 5. Plus, check them out online at lasvegassun.com/sun/sunlife/visual and themovieguys.com.

Grade: Jeff B, Dave A-

Starring: Denzel Washington, Will Patton. Wood Harris and Ryan Hurst.

Screenplay: Gregory Allen Howard.

Director: Boaz Yakin.

Rated: PG for mature themes and language.

Running time: 115 minutes.

Playing at: UA Green Valley Cinemas, UA Showcase 8, UA Rainbow Promenade 10, Century Cinedome 12 Henderson, Rancho Santa Fe 16, Regal Cinemas Boulder Station, Regal Cinemas Colonnade 14, Regal Cinemas and Texas Station 18.

Synopsis: Based on the dramatic events that took place in Alexandria, Va., in 1971, two coaches (Denzel Washington and Will Patton) must guide a first-year integrated high school team -- the T.C. Williams High Titans -- to victory. Facing the bigotry within the community, the young players and the school staff, they deliver a winning team for which all of Virginia will "Remember the Titans."

Jeff: Finally a football movie that you and the entire family can cheer about! Earlier football failures such as "Any Given Sunday" and "The Replacements," both pathetic, empty, dismal movies, didn't have what it takes to score with audiences. "Remember the Titans," however, is a superior example of classic storytelling and genuine moments and is loaded with fantastic football games. The true story is rooted in a small, closed-minded southern Virginia community in 1971 and follows the "Hoosiers" formula, where an underdog team struggles to make it to the state championships. The twist is that the high school football team is going to be radically different than the previous year. The local school board has integrated an all black school with an all white school during a time when racial tension is at its national height, and threatens a long hometown footb all tradition. The makings of a superior drama.

Dave: And who better, Jeff, to lead the cast than Academy Award-winning actor Washington as Herman Boone, the new head coach of the T.C. Williams High Titans. Facing the extremities of racial prejudice and receiving an unfriendly welcome from the community, Boone is introduced to Coach Bill Yoast (Patton, last seen in "Jesus' Son"), the future Hall-of-Famer whose years of seniority and admirable respect has been compromised by Boone's hiring. Despite the situation, the demoted Yoast accepts the assistant coaching position offered by Boone in order to keep the peace with the white students who threaten to risk their young academic careers in protest. Together they must face the difficult task of breaking the cultural ice between the white and black athletes.

Jeff: At first the ice is as thick as an iceberg, but the friendships that the players develop during football boot camp begin to melt away their differences, and they quickly realize how much in common they all have beneath their skin. Coach Boone is a fighter and wards off attacks on his home and family. Yet he struggles to turn the other cheek and, much like the way the players on the team come together, so does the coaching staff and, eventually, the entire town. Through teamwork and football, the town unites as it wins game after game with the integrated football team.

Dave: Various subplots take shape in the friendships forged by the young players. The most significant of those would probably be found between the aggressive white, All-American team captain Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst) who is paired with the equally hard-headed black athlete Julius "Big Ju" Campbell (Wood Harris). In the beginning their animosity reflects on the rest of the team as they attend the harsh military-like football camp, until Coach Boone leads by example with a nighttime drill leading them to the battlefield of Gettysburg. There, Washington is allowed to shine as he delivers a powerful speech about sacrifice and honor between men, a metaphor that encompasses the beloved sport and inspires them to overcome ignorance. The rest of the cast is ideally placed in their respective roles, including the oversized Ethan Suplee and the handsome Kip Pardue as two carefree players who look past the color of their teammates' skin.

Jeff: I'd argue, Dave, that audiences are familiar with producer Jerry Bruckheimer for his explosive action flicks such as "Top Gun," "The Rock" and "Armageddon." However, he shows his versatility by scaling down in terms of budget and keeps in tune with the mainstream by celebrating the unsung heroes. Director Boaz Yakin (critically acclaimed for his 1994 indie film "Fresh") establishes the emotional impact the sport of football can have on impressionable teens and the passion behind its coaches. The Titan football games are aesthetically captured with the familiar field lights that create the hazy atmosphere during high school games and the small-town capacity crowds that fill the bleacher seats as their team steps up to each challenge. Even when the faculty is behind calling an unfair game that will jeopardize Coach Boone's season as head coach, Coach Y oast sacrifices his laurels and his impending place in the Hall of Fame to do what is right not only by the way of the team!, but by way of courage, integrity and ethics.

Dave: Let's not forget to mention, Jeff, that along with a moving score by Trevor Rabin and terrific cinematography by Philippe Rousselot, the picture has a tremendous uplifting message and captures an era when the civil right movement was at its peak. Kudos to first-time feature scribe Gregory Allen Howard. As Washington's Coach Boone introduces himself to his players, he sternly exclaims, "This is not a democracy, this is a dictatorship! I am the law!" -- a statement that has more depth than that in any film this year, and a significant line of dialogue that shapes a group of unfocused minds into a spirited, winning team. For all of it's predictability and tactical buildup, "Remember the Titans" has the guts and glory to go up against any feel-good movie.