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The Tom's Guide Verdict: 'Remember the Titans'Rating: 4/5 starsVerdict: "Remember the Titans" is a great movie, but also a remarkable period piece. The casualness and prolific nature of racism in 1971 Northern Virginia is accurate, but it had me wondering if I was watching a Quentin Tarantino movie. Still, the main attraction of this movie is undeniably Denzel Washington's performance as Head Coach Herman Boone, even if the movie tries to make it about other characters on occasion.Where to watch: Stream "Remember the Titans" on Hulu or on Disney+We've reached the point of the Denzel Watchathon that I think a lot of people have been waiting for. This week marks the first of Denzel's movies from the 2000s, and that means I'm watching (more accurately, rewatching) "Remember the Titans."Like many of you reading this, I've seen this sports movie before. More than once. When you think of Denzel's career, this might not be the first movie you think of, but it'd be close. Coach Herman Boone is an iconic Denzel role, with more than its share of memorable moments and quotable lines.And yet, incredibly (and perhaps ironically), I had forgotten just how good Denzel is in this movie. In fact, he elevates it. It's a good movie in its own right, but when you rewatch it, you find some weak spots. Particularly when the movie focuses more on the student athletes or Coach Yoast's (Will Patton) daughter, Sheryl (Hayden Panettiere). This is clearly meant to be a feel-good, inspiring movie, and as such, it struggles to avoid being plucky or corny at times.That said, I also forgot what an incredible period piece this movie is. In fact, it might be a better period piece than a sports movie. The racism that existed in 1971 Virginia is (relatively) accurately portrayed, but far more casually and prolifically than I recalled from my viewings of this movie in my youth. Aside from Denzel's performance, it was probably what stunned me the most.If you want to watch this movie before you read on, I have great news! Not only is "Remember the Titans" streaming on Hulu, one of the best streaming services out there, but you can also stream it on Disney+.Malcolm has been with the Streaming team at Tom's Guide since 2023, reviewing dozens of movies each year so you don't have to watch the bad ones.'Remember the Titans' is a better period piece than a sports movieBased on a true story, "Remember the Titans" is the story of the 1971 T.C. Williams Titans state-championship-winning football team. Led by Herman Boone (Washington), this team went 13-0, won the state title, and finished the season as the second-best high school football program in the U.S.Now, when I say "based" on a true story, I mean it. While a great movie, there's a lot about this sports drama that isn't historically accurate. If you go to Wikipedia, you'll find an extensive list, but the highlights are the game against George C. Marshall being a mid-season matchup, and that Alexandria legally integrated its schools in 1959, not 1971.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.That said, T.C. Williams was created as an intentionally integrated high school in 1971, merging three existing schools. One of these schools was Francis C. Hammond, which was predominantly white and where Coach Yoast (Patton) had just won the state championship the year before.Virginia, at the time, was also undeniably still struggling with racism and desegregation. Part of the Jim Crow South and the literal capital of the ethnostate Confederate States of America, just over 100 years earlier, it would have been facetious not to portray race relations at the time, to say the least.Read more Denzel WatchathonThat said, I was still stunned by how casual and prolific the racism was in this movie. Again, not because it didn't exist, but because this is a Disney movie about high school football.Yes, Denzel's Coach Boone marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which the movie makes sure to point out. And yes, he's forced to stand out on his porch with a gun in his hand after a racially motivated attack, in a scene almost copied from "Malcolm X." But this is ultimately a movie about a team going undefeated to win a championship.Frankly, it almost felt like Quentin Tarantino directed it at times, with how much racial vitriol is casually thrown around. However, in Disney fashion, it is worth noting that the one time it seems that someone is about to use the N-word, they're conveniently cut short. In reality, things probably didn't play out quite that way.It's not just the racism that makes this movie an exceptional period piece. The production design, period-accurate cars, etc., are all hallmarks of a well-done historical retelling, and this movie nails them, aside from only allowing Sunshine (Kip Pardue) to have long hair (in reality, Gerry Bertier [Ryan Hurst] and others also had long hair). But it's the movie's commitment to portraying the harsh realities of the South in the 1970s that really impresses me now, 26 years after it was released in theaters.Verdict: This movie is great, but it'd be worth watching for the Denzel performance alone
