Review - Remember the Titans (2000)/ Gridiron Gang (2006)

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, in recent weeks, I've rewatched two very inspirational sports movies from the 2000's, both of which share a theme of teamwork overcome adversity. Those two movies are Remember the Titans, starring Denzel Washington, and Gridiron Gang, starring Dwayne Johnson. Since Remember the Titans came first, and is the more popular of the two, we'll start with that one. 

           So, Remember the Titans focuses on Coach Herman Boone, who in 1971 became the head coach of T.C. Williams High School's football team, with Coach Bill Yoast working with Boone as the team's assistant coach.  Boone, Yoast, and the rest of the team's coaching staff take the boys set to play that season to a multi-week training camp at Gettysburg College. The task of coaching the team is difficult at first due to them being the only high school football team in the state of Virginia at the time to be integrated, but as the camp progresses, the boys break down racially-driven tensions and animosity and come together as a team, with friendships forming between the boys, specifically between two defense players: Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell. 

       After camp ends, school is set to begin, and the Titans win their first two games, but the town of Alexandria is still split due to racial tensions of the era. However, as the Titans keep winning, the entire town rallies behind them. Unfortunately, after a big victory for the Regional Championship, Gerry is paralyzed in an automobile accident. The Titans then head to the State Championship game, and despite first half setbacks, the two coaches come together, and the Titans make a major comeback, winning the game. Gerry, with training from Yoast, becomes a Shot Put gold medalist in the Special Olympics, but dies in a car accident in 1981. The movie ends with the 1971 Titans team attending Gerry's funeral. 

        Remember the Titans is a special film, as it shows a high school football team, one of the first integrated teams in Virginia at the time, overcomes racial division and comes together as an undefeated Championship team. A majority of the cast , including Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst, Donald Faison, Kip Pardue, Ethan Suplee, and Ryan Gosling are all excellent in this movie. Definitely one of Disney's finest, I'm giving Remember the Titans a rating of 5/5. 

          Six years later saw the release of Gridiron Gang, which focuses on a Los Angeles county juvenile detention facility called Camp Kilpatrick, and two counselors who decided to try and make a difference in the lives of the boys at the camp by bringing them together as a football team, proving that everyone deserves a chance to be better, no matter what they did in the past. 

         The two Kilpatrick counselors in question are Sean Porter and Malcolm Moore, who decided to coach a group of the boys at the camp into a football team, the Mustangs. Among the boys on the team include Kenny Bates, Junior Palaita, Kelvin Owens, and Willie Weathers, with another boy named Bug Wendal as the team's waterboy. Owens and Weathers are from two rival street gangs: the 95's and the 88's. Junior, meanwhile, wants to play to prove he can be a better person for his son, whose second birthday Junior missed out on. Porter even agrees to refill the camp's empty swimming pool for completing passes. Unfortunately, Owens and Weathers don't work together well, due to the 95's killing Weathers' cousin Roger, who was at the camp earlier in the movie, but died in a drive-by after being released. 

       As training commences, the Mustangs get their football equipment, but lose their first two games. Before the first game, however, Junior suffers a concussion and a slipped disc, making him unable to play. The Mustangs eventually start winning, with Weathers and Owens setting aside gang rivalry for teamwork. Unfortunately, one of Weathers' fellow 88's, Free, shoots Owens in the shoulder, and weather saves the life of his teammate. Free is killed by police, and the Mustangs' next game is nearly cancelled due to the risk of further gang-relates violence. However, another Kilpatrick counselor, Ted Dexter, assembles volunteers from the LAPD, Sheriff's department, and other places to secure the game, which the Mustangs win. Unfortunately, the Mustangs lose the championship game. However, they due to the boys overcoming adversity and earning their second chance at life, they're not seen as losers anymore. 

        After the boys are released, Bates, Owens, and Weathers head to school and play football, with Bates moving back in with his mother in Redondo Beach, Weathers getting a football scholarship to a major boarding school, and Junior living with his family and working for a furniture store. The following year, Porter and Moore start the whole process over with a new group of Mustangs. 

           Gridiron Gang, while not as fondly remembered as Remember the Titans, is just as moving a story. Dwayne Johnson, Leon Rippy, Kevin Dunn, and Xzibit were all excellent in this movie, and the boys who made up the Mustangs were all excellent. The theme of teamwork overcoming adversity is strong in this movie, and seeing the level of that, with Weathers and Owens overcoming the animosity their respective gangs have, is truly special. And of course, the football scenes between the Mustangs and the other teams was a lot of fun. Just like with Remember the Titans I'm going to give Gridiron Gang a 5/5 rating as well. 

       Overall, these two movies are truly great films. Remember the Titans is currently streaming on Disney+, but Gridiron Gang is a little harder to find on streaming. It's still a movie that's worth it, however. If you're into football, as well as gripping true stories about teamwork overcoming adversity in multiple forms, definitely check these movies out. This is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.