I'm not always keen on sports movies, whether based on true stories or fictional, but I AM usually keen on COACHING movies (given my background coaching for theater games). Remember the Titans worked both ways. It's a great story about coaching, and indeed, a strong interacial coaching partnership, as a high school in Virginia presents the first integrated football team in the state back in the early 70s. Denzel Washington is probably too hard on those kids, but he needs to break down attitudes before they can act like a team. Before long, the team's success brings the whole community together, but also attracts nasty racism from other teams, so even as winners, the Titans are an underdog. So it's also a rousing sports movie that works on its own terms, distinguishing a lot of players (including baby Ryan Gosling) and making us care about their personal successes, failures and sacrifices. And the football action is clear, varied and well choreographed. Exciting, often funny, but also pulling at your heart strings, Remember the Titans is a great entry in the sports, biopic AND race relations genres.

Strangely, this movie is more timely now than it was in 2000.

Cried at the end :(