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In recent times, with seen many films come and go that follow the same “inspirational film” formula. From Drumline in 2002 to The Great Debaters just last year, these films all serve to inspire all of us in one way or another, usually by portraying an underdog team/individual overcoming all odds. However, what some people don’t realise is that all these films root from this one unique film: Remember the Titans (2000).

Remember the Titans (2000) is a Disney film which was released 8 years ago, yet till this day it is still an extremely popular film. It is set in 1971, a period when racial strife was at its highest. Yet despite this fact, T.C Williams High School in Alexandra Virginia is finally desegregated, causing Whites and Blacks to have to go to the same school and tread the same hallways. Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is then hired to be the coach of the school’s football team, replacing former head coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton) who then takes up the offer of becoming assistant head coach after some hesitation. The newly formed football team is made up of both Blacks and Whites, which then results in many disagreements and even brawls. However, coach Boone brings them to a camp and it is there where, through forceful methods, he finally gets the team to bond together and look past each other’s skin colour. However, when they return from camp the best of friends, they then have to deal with racial tensions back in their hometown. Despite all the problems, including coach Boone getting a brick thrown through his house window, the team manages to go through an entire season undefeated and finally clinch the championship.

While the story may seem too good to be true, the film is actually based off the true events that took place at that time. That’s probably the best thing about the plot, that the characters and events that occurred are mostly real. This helps the audience relate with the characters, especially at the end of the film as it goes on to explain what happened to each individual after he left the school right before the credits roll. The events themselves make for a great Hollywood storyline as well, even though a large part of it was probably rewritten for Hollywood’s sake. However, the very fact that the team could go from fighting among themselves to playing an entire season undefeated is inspiration enough for any average person. You won’t find many plot holes in this film either, since it’s not all that complicated anyway, but it’s a good thing that the plot is easy to keep up with since the audience will be better able to appreciate the film.

The actors themselves do a great job of portraying the characters as well. From Denzel Washington playing the role of a strict coach who never lets up on his team, to Ryan Hurst and Wood Harris playing individual White and Black players on the team who manage to capture the overall problem of racial strife at a personal level. You can really feel the frustration of the players when their forced to play with people of a different race; you’ll feel the strong bond of friendship between them once they get over their indifferences; you’ll feel their elation by the time the climax of the film is over. . Even the supporting characters such as coach Boone’s wife and children do a great job when they’re required to do their job. Also, even when there are so many members on the team, their each given their own time to shine, allowing the audience to be able to relate with all of them instead of only one individual. Director Boaz Yakin has done a great job by trying his best to give all characters a decent amount of time onscreen so that the audience relates with the team as a whole.

This was probably one the most popular and successful Disney movies and was the reason why we see so many of these “inspirational sports films”, so much so that they might as well have their own genre. The original team of ‘71 have even set up their own website and the 71′ Original Titans Foundation is now a non-profit organisation which is “dedicated to helping High School Students pursue post-secondary education”. There, you’ll also find an FAQ which addresses the various discrepancies between the film and what really happened all those years ago.

For those of you who haven’t watched this film yet, there’s absolutely no reason for you to not try and grab a DVD of the show as soon as possible. I’m pretty sure next to anyone will enjoy this film, even families could watch it together if they wanted to. With all that being said, just remember to watch Remember the Titans (2000).

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