Thrashbronws v. Mouse House, Round 10

Remember the Titans (2000)

The Story:

When Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) replaces local legend Bill Yost (Will Patton) as head football coach at newly-integrated T.C. Williams High School in Virginia, the two men and their players must combat decades of prejudices and learn to respect and trust one another. Oh, and they also need to field a successful football team or Boone's out on his ass.  

Has Thrashbrowns seen this? Why or why not?

I hadn't seen it for two main reasons. 1. I'm not the biggest fan of sports movies. 2. I'm not the biggest fan of Disney and this was before they owned Star Wars and Marvel, a huge part of my childhood. I also typically prefer movies that make fun of sports rather than serious movies about sports as a metaphor for life or how sports bring people together. You think sports bring people together? Try growing up as the only kid who hates BYU in a predominately Mormon town.

The Good:

The acting is what really made this movie work for me. Washington is Denzel Washington. He's always gonna bring it. Patton provides another example of why he's one of the most underrated actors out there. He not only keeps up with Washington, he even pushes Denzel to up his game. 

The younger cast members are pretty great, too. Especially Wood Harris and Ethan Suplee. And is that Opie from Sons of Anarchy? Why is he not a bigger star than he is? 

The other thing that worked is the emotional component of the film. I'm somebody who loves movies where people learn to change and become better people, perhaps because if I see examples of people doing so, I can believe it's possible for me to change and become better, too. And that's really the focal point of Titans. People unlearning what they've learned and embracing a better way. Got me right in the heart. I'm not crying, you're crying. Dick.

The Bad:

I have two main issues with this film. Firstly, in spite of its good qualities, Titans is still very much a movie about how sports brings people together. That means there are a number of scenes in the film that I just couldn't buy into. For example, the scene where Boone arrives at home and his neighbors all cheer him for the job he's done with the football team. That was a bit more than I felt was realistic, especially for a movie that's done a lot to set up how much blacks and whites in this community hate each other. Winning cures an awful lot, but it doesn't cure all things.

The other issue? Titans is extremely predictable. I saw Gerry Bertier's accident coming from a mile away, even though I knew nothing about the true-life events upon which the movie's based. I knew that a brick would fly through a window in Boone's home at some point, so it wasn't shocking when that happened. Knowing these events are coming blunts the impact of these moments, and especially in the case of Gerry's arc, it's a big shame. I mean his friendship with Julius is the most powerful element in the movie, but had I not expected something bad to happen to Gerry, it could have been even more impactful and powerful.

Does Thrashbrowns get why people love this so much?

Yes and no. It's undoubtedly a good movie, maybe even very good. But there are a ton of inspirational sports movies out there that tackle race relations. Movies like Glory Road and 42. Those movies are on the same level as Titans, quality-wise. Same with the Friday Night Lights TV series. So I have to ask why Titans? Why this movie? So while I get why someone might dig on this movie, I'm unsure what it is that makes it stand above all the other films like it in people's minds.

Did Thrashbrowns like it?

Yes, very much. I may not see  lot of difference between Titans nd other sports-based movies and TV shows, but the acting, the way the character relationships are built and how the theses are handled make Titans a moving, worthwhile movie experience. And if you aren't in tears multiple times during this flick, you have to be dead inside.

Up Next:

We're gonna stick with the live-action side of Disney and peep out another movie you'd think I'd have seen by now: National Treasure. Cuz I need a dose of Nic Cage to make my quarantine complete.