About This Quiz
Sports movies are a dime a dozen, but not all of them bother to take on larger social issues. "Remember the Titans," however, opted to challenge social norms of the '70s. How much do you know about this gusty gridiron movie?The film is all about a high school football team back in the early 1970s. Produced by Disney, it's an emotionally rousing movie with many action scenes.
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Denzel Washington plays the role of coach Herman Boone, a black man who takes on a leadership role in an area where most coaches are white.
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There's an aura of racial tension at the school, and Boone is picked to help defuse the situation. His selection, however, does not go over well with certain students.
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The white players aren't enthusiastic about the pick and they threaten a boycott. They relent only when the former (white) head coach accepts a position as defensive coordinator and encourages them to remain on the team.
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The story is loosely based on real-life events that occurred at T.C. Williams High School in 1971. The school is in Virginia.
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In the movie (but not in real life) all of the other teams in the area are all white -- and Boone is stuck trying to integrate a team with both black and white players, an effort that goes anything but smoothly.
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Boaz Yakin has mostly worked as a writer and producer… and he knew nothing about football when he signed up to direct this movie. He took a crash course about the sport in order to understand the game.
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The white and black players face off time and again, with both sides angry about the team's blend of different ethnicities.
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The real high school wasn't a part of filming. Much of the shooting actually happened at a high school in Atlanta.
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Boone takes the team to Gettysburg, a place made famous by the Civil War. The act is meant to inspire new confidence in their integration and teamwork.
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The movie did very well -- it grossed nearly $140 million around the world. Those numbers more than helped it recoup the $30 million budget.
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Boone does his best to prepare the team, but one school board member doesn't really like the coach -- and he tells him that if he loses a single game, he'll be fired.
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The team's mascot is, of course, the Titans -- that's how the movie got its name.
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Boone's strategies and motivation work. The team manages to win every regular season game and heads into the postseason with exciting momentum.
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The coach is all about hardcore physical (and mental) training. He rouses the team during camp and takes them for a hard run to Gettysburg Cemetery. In real life, the team actually visited Gettysburg -- but not in the middle of the night.
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Patton wasn't in "Spider-Man." He did appear in numerous other big productions, from "No Way Out" to "Armageddon."
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The board's chairman is a secret (or not-so-secret) racist who doesn't like Boone's skin color. He wants Boone's season to end in flames.
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Seeing as how this is a Disney movie, much of the script's profanity was removed. The company didn't want to alienate its core audience with foul language.
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Even though Boone got the job over Yoast, the two find common ground and manage to forge a successful partnership. Their cooperation inspires confidence in the players.
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The referees help to rig the game in favor of the opposing team. Yoast calls out one of the officials and threatens to alert the press… and the officials allow the game to continue on fair terms.
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Gerry Bertier is the team's captain and a standout player, and he's paralyzed in a terrible car wreck. That means the team has to go on without him.
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Ryan Hurst plays the part of Bertier. Hurst is perhaps best known for his role as Opie in "Sons of Anarchy."
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Boone reportedly made the black and white players ride the same bus together so that they'd have to start learning how to get along. Integration was a huge part of Boone's job.
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The film made money, but many critics panned the plot and execution. It didn't receive any Oscar nominations.
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Many of the characters (and plot points) are complete fabrications. The story is only loosely based on real-life events.
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Yoast called out the referees as cheaters during the rigged game -- an act that infuriates the school board that wanted to see Boone lose. As a result, they yank Yoast's chances to reach the Hall of Fame.
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Kate Bosworth plays the role of Emma. Bosworth appeared in other films, such as "Blue Crush," "Wonderland," and "Still Alice."
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Don't be ridiculous, this is a Disney film. The Titans win the state championship and the glory.
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Bertier, the luckless team captain, dies after yet another car accident. The gang gets back together to send him off and also to remember their gridiron glory days.
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The movie version was much more dramatic than real life. The real team won in a snoozer, 27 to 0.
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