Remember the Titans

What's the difference between a Hallmark TV movie and a Disney real-life triumph-over-adversity feel-good movie? Denzel Washington, baby! OK, so I've had a crush on him since college (and still have his (ALA) pin-up on my wall at work), but he is a fine, fine actor. His effort makes this film rise above others of its ilk. He plays the main character in a story of the forced desegregation of Alexandria, Virginia in 1971. In order to comply with the policy, the school board hires a black coach to head the football team, displacing the former white head coach. Even though the black coach has as good a history of winning as the white coach, well, you can imagine the emotions that run rampant. While I didn't feel strongly about Will Patton as the white coach (too restrained), Washington gives nothing but his best. The scene in the Gettysburg cemetery, although underplayed, is enough to send shivers down your spine. And the kids were quite well cast, believable as high school denizens. Most feel-good movies are not complex, so they don't garner my high scores, but that doesn't mean that this film is not worth watching. If nothing else, just watch it for Washington.

year: 2000
length: 113 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0210945/combined