Honestly, I didn’t really think much of the movie Remember the Titans when I first saw it on the TV. Growing up, my brother was a football player, and my uncle was a coach. It was pretty typical for a football movie of some kind to be on in our house. It took sitting down and watching it to realize that the movie isn’t just about football at all. It’s about acceptance of one another more than anything.
The movie is set back in Virginia of 1971, and it revolves around this school that just started to integrate the students. The football team was composed of kids from different schools, and of course, they didn’t like that or each other at all. They fought constantly, and it was like everyone was upset about something. It took some time, but after a while, they seemed to grow tired of it. They began to see that they shared a common desire to win, and in order to do that, they needed to actually get along.
Coach Boone, Denzel Washington’s character, is the one who keeps them from completely falling apart. He’s someone who’s rough around the edges, but he’s also fair. He doesn’t care who you are, just that you show up and respect the game. As any coach should, he pushes the team hard, and naturally, they aren’t happy about that. Until little by little, they start to see each other as a real team instead of enemies.
The movie still hits now because to this day, people still don’t know how to get along. It’s all over the place, especially in areas like race and politics. This movie shows that it doesn’t have to be that way.
The best parts of this movie aren’t even the football games. It’s the parts that are super emotional but stick with you the most. That hospital scene, when Gerry calls Julius his brother, still gets to me. It’s not about football anymore at all. It’s just about people.
It’s been a long time since it came out, but it still matters. It shows that people can change, and that being strong isn’t about being loud or in charge. It’s just about standing together. That’s it.
