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

References: Amir, Y. (1969). Contact hypothesis in ethnic relations. Psychological Bulletin, 71, 319- 342. In Franzoi, S. L. (2006). Social Psychology 4th Ed. NY: McGraw-Hill. Glick, P., & Fiske, S.T. (2001). Ambivalent stereotypes as legitimizing ideologies: Differentiating paternalistic and resentful prejudice. In Franzoi, S. L. (2006). Social Psychology 4th Ed. NY: McGraw-Hill. Zajonc, R. B. (1965). Social facilitation. Science, 149, 269-274. In Franzoi, S. L. (2006). Social Psychology 4th Ed. NY: McGraw-Hill.