Movie Review: Remember the Titans

Movie Review: Remember the Titans

In 1971, the black and white schools in Alexandria, Virginia were forced to integrate and became T.C. Williams High School. There were in the community. Above al that, the white football coach, Bill Yoast, was replaced by a black football coach, Herman Boone. There was uproar among the white players and their parents because their white head coach was being replaced. The players attended a training camp where white and black players do not mix. An exception was a fat white player who sat with the blacks.

In the camp, the white and black players were hostile to each other. Coach Boone made them sit together in the bus and even had each of them having a roommate of a different race. He wanted them to understand and at least respect each other. During the training, Coach Boone brought them the Civil War battlefield. His main purpose was to unite the players.

The players slowly get to understand and appreciate each other. They loved the same music and shared the same joke. After two weeks in the camp, they were united and shared the same goal --- to win. Parents and friends were shocked of the sudden change, and were not willing to accept. Gerry Bertier, dumped his girlfriend because she refused to shake hands with his black friend, Julius.

The story went on to where their unity brought them to win every match. In the middle of the season, Gerry Bertier met a car accident and was paralyzed. Julius and Gerry promised to be friends forever. Gerry’s mother reconcile with Julius after the accident and Gerry’s girlfriend shook hands with Julius just before the match.

The story started and ended with Gerry’s funeral. They meet up to attend his funeral where integration and unity was shown.

The movie’s theme is about racism and prejudice among the white and black community. According to Peter Glick and Susan Fiske’s (2001, as cited in Franzoi, 2006) three basic forms of prejudice, the prejudice shown in the movie can be categorize as contemptuous prejudice because the target group, the blacks were perceived as threatening the whites, their relationship were competitive. Another social factor which determines the type of prejudice is the social status of the blacks. They were seen as having a lower status compared to the whites. Attitudes of disrespects, resentment, and hostility which are characteristics of contemptuous prejudice were shown in the movie.

In the movie, Coach Boone was trying to integrate and unite the black and white players. The contact hypothesis (Amir, 1969, as cited in Franzoi, 2006) states that when certain social conditions are met, prejudice can be reduced. Coach Boone made the white and black players maintained close contact with each other --- having a different race roommate. After the training camp, Gerry and Julius still remained as friends as Julius even went to Gerry’s house. Another condition which was met in the movie was the team’s cooperation. There was an intergroup cooperation among the football players to defeat their opposing team. Another fifth condition, friendship potential, was met as well. The players turned into friends except one where he was then removed from the team.

As mentioned earlier, Coach Boone brought the team on the early morning run to the old battlefield. His main purpose was to hope that the team understands that if they were not united, they would end up fighting another war and history would