Remember the Titans | Canadian First Time Watching | Movie Reaction | Movie Review | Commentary

[@DonPetersimes-tz8ny]

The dance they did before the games, they actually did in real life. It wasn't choreographed by Disney. It was actual history.

[@buckbuchanan4902]

That's interesting to know, but it was probably my least favorite part of the movie. I thought that dance was really, really corny.

[@RonJomero]

The real coaches, Boone and Yoast, truly did end up becoming best friends and hung out together every day (they sadly both passed away in 2019). They even provided their own commentary track for the DVD release. Ryan Hurst (Gary) became popularly known for playing Opie on Sons of Anarchy and was more recently the voice of Thor in God of War: Ragnarok.

[@fishonthefly2278]

That scene from Sons still Fs me up

[@j..e..m]

Named my dog Opie after Ryan's character in Son's. I won't let him watch Laying Pipe episode though. IYKYK

[@Dylan_Stockdale]

He also was in Walking Dead he played Beta

[@Flirken1]

He was also in we were soldiers. He played Sargent savage.

[@alexanderbonilla4556]

They did remain close friends. I went to TC Williams back in ‘97-‘99. Coach Boone was my driver’s education teacher, and I always saw him and Coach Yoast hanging out and interacting with each other when they weren’t teaching and busy.

[@WraithWTF]

The AA vs AAA team thing was a way to classify schools based off their student body size. At that time in Virginia, Group A schools had fewer than 700 students, Group AA schools had between 700 and 1500 students, and Group AAA schools had 1500+ students. It's mostly done for sportsmanship to prevent tiny schools where a single student might play 2 or even 3 positions (because their team just doesn't have enough players) from being pitted against schools where they can have 4-5 students per position, since the larger team would be able to just rotate through rested players while the smaller team is constantly playing and therefore becomes completely exhausted. The shotgun they're referring to is a play structure, where the quarterback and running back start a few yards behind the offensive line, instead of right up against it. The point is to give the quarterback more space to move in, and thus more time to do whatever the play calls for; if it's a pass, the tight ends and wide receivers (the guys catching the ball) have more time to get further down the field and to get away from defenders, while the quarterback has more time to see which receiver is the best option to throw to; if the play is a run, the shotgun gives the offensive line more time to hopefully open a hole in the defense for the running back to take the ball through to get some good yardage, as well as enough room to build up some speed (or in the case of a fullback, enough momentum to push through the line).

[@matthewlaird5235]

A larger sample size of athletes means a greater chance of having one or two or three of them being exceptional. The larger the class size the better the talent.

[@pete_lind]

You cant find field full of players from under 700 students school ? Thats why real football is better than hand egg, you can always find 11 people for a team. Thats all you need, so why do hand egg teams need over 50 players ? On field its just 11, do they get tired and cant run after 10 min ? Football games are 90 min 2 x 45 min half , hand egg games are only 60 min divided to 4 x 15 min. Of course average hand egg game is 3 hour long, 1 h for game 2 h for ads.

[@PhuckYT12]

@@pete_lind 1) Football has three different phases and over 25 different positions on the field. 2) Football is a contact sport. Soccer is a sport where grown men will fake cry over a tap. Are you purposefully obtuse?

[@yourneighborhoodxenos]

​@@pete_lindmy school had only 250 kids, and not every single boy is into football. We had a lot of our starting offensive players on defense too. We still ended up winning state that way, but we were only 1A (Indiana) and competing against 1A and a handful of 2A (which I'm pretty sure is smaller in IN but I'm not totally sure)

[@pete_lind]

@@PhuckYT12 For sure , thats why 1964 300 people were killed in Peru ,did they all fake it ? 1985 39 people were killed by Liverpool supporters in Brussels, Englands teams were banned to play in mainland Europe for 5 years. 2012 Port Said , Egypt, supporter of other team rush to the field 79 people die and they suspend whole football league for 2 years... so if there is football game in place you travel, make sure you are not wearing any team colors, because opposite team supporters may beat you up and they are not faking it , aint football a lovely sport ?

[@johncarolina4950]

I'm from the deep south (Alabama) and the part where they play the racist coach and referees where they come back and win had the entire theater erupting in cheers, one of my favorite movie going memories

[@OneArmedRetroGamer]

Yeah but that never happened

[@JabezGill]

@@OneArmedRetroGamerhahahaha, yup 100% 🧢.

[@theduckfromthejoke152]

​@@OneArmedRetroGamerWhich part?

[@OneArmedRetroGamer]

@@theduckfromthejoke152 there was never a fixed game. They made a lot of factual errors because Disney does not believe in nuance

[@Drawkcabi]

​@@OneArmedRetroGamerBut that moment DID happen at the movies, even if it was instigated by a scene in a movie that did not happen in real life, movies are gonna do what movies do. A great moment still happened and that counts.

[@yehudahecht1520]

This movie took some dramatic liberties, as movies do. The Titans were in fact such a dominant team that they shut out their opponents seven times in their 10-game season. Their last game wasn't remotely close either: They won by a score of 26-8.

[@Dularr]

The Veer offense is designed to take advantage of weaker teams and really run up the score.

[@dontworry5696]

I love this movie but that’s probably one of the smaller liberties they took in the movie… The school had already been integrated for five years and all their opponents were already integrated, players have come up and said there was no actual racial tension on the team, there were no protesters, no crooked officials, the coaches daughter didn’t even live with him, they were overwhelming favorites in all their games…it goes on and on lol

[@chrisdobbs9155]

The biggest and most surprising liberty they took was they played UP the racism angle. TC Williams had been intergrated for years by this point. I don't remeber how many, but i'm pretty sure it was enough that none of the players here had ever been segregated in high school.

[@Dularr]

@@chrisdobbs9155 integrated in 1965. Then combined 3 schools and three different football programs in 1971. But I think one of the schools was 90% white.

[@jerryactrik1901]

Middle school through High School my best friend was Gary Bertier's nephew. Gary had already passed, but his family has a foundation in his name that still holds events every year. Gary was the life of the party, based on the stories I heard. If there was a dance floor, he was out there in his wheelchair, with a crowd of people around him.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

Sounds wonderful.

[@actualkarenokboomer3158]

Disney bit with the clapping and singing, the team really did enter the field that way. Some of the footage of them entering the field is the actual team.

[@brucewilson5829]

Shotgun formation is when the quarterback backs up from the front line before the play begins

[@brianhardy612]

Yes. And they pretty much only do shotgun now instead of being under the center. Unless it's a Quarterback sneak.

[@spencerwattamaniuk950]

The QB doesn't have to back up from the front line before the play, he starts a few yards back from the LOS.

[@ShakesTheClown46]

Quarterback is also off the line of scrimmage in Pistol formation. Potential differences: QB is a bit closer to the line than in shotgun and/or a running back might line up behind the QB. In shotgun the running back(s) is to one side or the other of the QB.

[@brucewilson5829]

@@ShakesTheClown46 facts, but I was just trying to keep the answer simple and easy to understand was all 🤘💚💯

[@ShakesTheClown46]

@@brucewilson5829 Also don’t think Pistol was around in the early ‘70s. Shotgun is ancient.

[@areflux]

Normally the Quarterback is directly behind the Center at the start of a play and the center snaps the ball to him, basically handing him the ball through his legs. But when the Quarterback is in the Shotgun it means that he stands like 7 yards behind the Center and the Center has to snap it all the way back to him. This basically allows the Quarterback have more time and see more of the field to find an open guy to throw to. So the shotgun formation is used mostly to pass and not to run that much.

[@NestorCaster]

That was good! Not tell ‘em what “running the bootleg” is!

[@joemckim1183]

@@NestorCaster More or less the Quarterback runs around the outside of the tackle box with the Running Back about 2 yards behind him. The defense doesn't know if they need to commit to trying to tackle the QB because if they over commit the QB will toss the ball to the RB right before they try to tackle the QB and then the RB can go run the ball downfield with very few defenders on him.

[@motorcycleboy9000]

Naked bootleg is without the running back

[@TharpFam073]

The reason this was such a surprise in the movie is actually referenced. When Yoast says, "Who do they think they are, the New York Jets?" he's referring to the team that actually started the popularity of the formation. Joe Namath was very immobile and had bad knees toward the end of his career as QB for the New York Jets, so they started using the shotgun formation as a way to give him more time to throw the ball. Then it became a regular formation in the Canadian Football League when Joe Theismann and the Toronto Argonauts started using it. The modern form of the shotgun formation is usually attributed to the 1975 Dallas Cowboys who began using it as a regular play style. Today, roughly between half and three quarters of offensive football plays utilize some variation of the shotgun formation. As the game evolved and players became faster and stronger, it became necessary to create more separation between the QB and the defense.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

Good to know.

[@maimuna1834]

"I don't know what's going on, but the music sounds hopeful." That summed up how I felt while watching it as a new immigrant coming to the US! 🤣🤣🤣

[@aaronberger9377]

Glad you two enjoyed this one! A casting that you didn’t point out was a young Hayden Panettiere as Cheryl. An amazing breakout role for her as far as I’m concerned!

[@jerodast]

I assume they didn't recognize her. Her star kind of rose and set with _Heroes._

[@richardmaurice8622]

​@@jerodastI disagree, it was Nashville.

[@lucas.2.3.9.4]

​@@jerodastyou're forgetting the great movie Racing Stripes

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

Very true.

[@AshLee92490]

​@@jerodastShe was also in Scream IV.

[@davidd.3555]

That little girl is Hayden Panettiere from heroes, I believe this film was her first role.

[@xeno-andrew]

“Save the Cheerleader…” -loved S1 of that show.

[@Bikebrh]

Somethings you have to remember when watching this movie is the time setting, not just about race, but about how sports was coached back then. It was much harsher than now, and they did things that would be considered abusive, if not actually criminal, like the "Water is for Sissies" philosophy. That was a common belief/practice back then, when players were much smaller than now. That changed only as recently as 2001, after the Minnesota Vikings Korey Stringer died of heat stroke in training camp. After that, proper hydration and cooling became part of coaching.

[@radiowatcher]

Yep: I attended high school 1977-1981, and during two-a-day practices in August, where the average temperature was in the 90s and the average humidity was 80%, we were denied water when the coaches didn't like how the practice session was going. They'd give us salt tablets if they were feeling generous.

[@wadeintonature2975]

Football is huge especially in the south. Some towns completely shut down on Friday nights for high school games.

[@matthewcastleton2263]

Right-leaning people are also more likely to be into football.

[@drewc981]

I love the part at the end where Gerry Bertier talks about finding out that the Paralympics or Olympics for disabled people exists. Gerry did go on to set records at the Paralympic level in track and field events (wheelchair racing and shot put I believe) and wheelchair basketball.

[@10sLiss]

In the beginning, Coach Boone was given Coach Yoast’s head coaching position which demoted Coach Yoast to assistant coach. This is why he originally didn’t want to coach with Boone and was looking for other head coaching positions, and why all the boys wanted to quit as loyalty to their coach.

[@jp3813]

22:29 Tai chi is waterbending though.

[@chappie_nottherobot]

I’ve been to plenty Seahawks games over the years up here in Seattle, and there’s nothing quite like feeling the stadium rumble because of the fans cheers. It’s a special feeling you can only get just from being there. American football might not be for everyone, but the people who love it are some of the craziest, passionate, and most fun people you could ever be around. Unfortunately there’s also a lot of toxic, agro, or even racist fans that can’t stand losing and decide to take their frustrations out on players personally, especially on social media these days.

[@Hope2BHappy]

At 21:30 you seemed to think the team entered with the dance because it was a disney movie. I think it was more inspired by the entrances and bands of HBCU schools. Check out some of their marching bands I'm guessing you haven't seen them perform before. Everyone make suggestions for which schools to watch.

[@TheUltraYusuf]

This film rocks. It does a lot to realize all the characters and its just incredible.

[@bambamnj]

"Shotgun" is the formation of the Offensive team when they are on the scrimmage line (the line where the offense and defense line up against each other). There are many different formation for both the offense and defense. "shotgun" mainly refers to any formation where the Quarterback stand about 5 yards behind the Center (instead of lining up right behind him). In a Shotgun office the Center then tosses the ball back to the Quarterback (instead of just handing him the ball in a normal formation). Shotgun formation gives the Quarterback a little more room and time to make the play. It also gives the Offensive Linemen a little more of a buffer to hold back the Defensive players from getting to the Quarterback. Shotgun basically allows more time for the Offensive plays to develop, such as passes, hand-offs, fakes, etc

[@actualkarenokboomer3158]

Only 2 of the speaking high school kids were actually teenagers when it opened Sep 29, 2000. Denzel Washington as Herman Boone 1954 46 Will Patton as Bill Yoast 1954 46 Wood Harris as Julius Campbell 1969 31 Burgess Jenkins as Ray Budds 1973 27 Donald Faison as Petey Jones 1974 26 Craig Kirkwood as Jerry "Rev" Harris 1974 26 Earl C. Poitier as Darryl "Blue" Stanton 1974 26 Kip Pardue as Ronnie "Sunshine" Bass 1975 25 Ryan Hurst as Gerry Bertier 1976 24 Ethan Suplee as Louie Lastik 1976 24 Ryan Gosling as Alan Bosley 1980 19 Kate Bosworth as Emma Hoyt 1983 17 Hayden Panettiere as Sheryl Yoast 1989 11

[@kingofbudokai]

This is one of my all time favorite movies. The scene with Julius coming to see Bertier in the Hospital always chokes me up. They did such a good job at portraying what real, deep friendship between men looks like. And the ending? Perfection. "Before we reach for hate, always, ALWAYS we remember the titans."

[@NCopper27]

Re: “Left side! Strong side!” Football offenses put five “big guys” up front, which would be symmetrical, except they often add a sixth player to act as a hybrid that can either block or attempt to catch a pass-whatever the play calls for (the “tight end”). The offensive line, however, is now asymmetrical, so to differentiate between sides when discussing a play, teams began calling the side with the tight end the “strong side” (because there’s one more player) and the other side the “weak side.” Gary and Julius play on opposite sides of the defense and, because of their leadership qualities, serve as the de facto captains for their half of the field. The “Left side! /Strong side!” bit is a way to psych themselves and their teammates up by going “My side of the defense is better than yours! / “Nuh uh! My side’s better!”

[@Bikebrh]

One thing you didn't seem to pick up on(although you might be a little young to remember her star-making role) is that the football crazy daughter of the white coach was an 11 year old Hayden Pannetiere, who would become wildly famous as Claire Bennet, the cheerleader 6 years later on Heroes("Save the cheerleader, save the world."), and then become the co-lead on Nashville 2012-18. Her career has slowed down significantly since then since suffering from post-partum depression in 2015 and missing multiple episodes of Nashville. It's not clear to me if she put the brakes on herself, or if she developed a reputation for being unreliable/difficult but she has only worked once since 2018 according to IMDB.

[@bryanneal939]

I did not know that was the cheerleader from heroes haha. I am not a Nashville guy but I loved heroes

[@davajita]

A friend of mine was an extra in this movie - one of the Titans' players. He's in a bunch of shots and we all went to see the movie together and can't stop laughing whenever he shows up on the screen.

[@truthseeker12523]

Can you point him out to us?

[@LacoSinfonia]

Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin were a vaudeville duo who became two of the biggest stars on the planet. Their films probably wouldn’t do numbers, but they’re worth checking out. I personally prefer Lewis’ solo work. The Bellboy, The Errand Boy, The Geisha Boy (just noticed the pattern) are all great.

[@brom00]

I'd recommend The Caddy. It would be familiar territory since they have seen Caddyshack and Happy Gilmore.

[@alfredstimoli2590]

After they split. Jerry Lewis continued with comedies. Dean Martin went into, not so much comedic movies, but light hearted movies. He was one of the original "Rat Packs" with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr etc. Dean Martin was also the star of a couple of Matt Helm movies (James Bond parodies). You may remember when watching Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Sharon Tate (Margo Robbie) goes to see herself at the movies? The movie she was co-starring in was Matt Helm's (Dean Martin) The Wrecking Crew. If you ever want to watch a good western may I recommend "Rio Bravo" with John Wayne, Dean Martin and Angie Dickinson.

[@Savor1979]

This movie is actually about my old high school TC Williams high school , which is now renamed to Alexandra city high school…. and the coach that Denzel Washington is playing was actually my driver’s ed teacher in that school…. I remember he told us in class that Hollywood was going to make a movie about him and I didn’t know anything about the whole football thing and that he coached and I was saying to myself why are they going to make a movie about a driver’s ed teacher and then two years later I’m at the movie theaters and I see the trailer for the Titans and I was just blown away because they were chanting. We are the Titans, the mighty mighty Titans, which is the same school chant that we chant.

[@moldy13]

need a shout out to Hayden Panettiere. she played Yoast's daughter. great performance by a young actor.

[@iKvetch558]

Seeing Simone and George being SO shocked that this movie was made by Disney really just provides stunningly clear evidence of how far Disney has degenerated form their former glory. The fact that they can't believe that Disney would be controversial or tackle (pun intended) a tough topic like integration of the races in the 1970s means that it has been a long time since Disney was much of any good.

[@todderickson2435]

100%

[@promisemochi]

right!! there was a lot of stuff that disney did that was bolder. a lot of their live action films from the 60s and 70s and 80s and 90s went into so much depth. films like johnny termaine for example where the characters just felt so real and human vs just charicatures like today. also i don't wanna say things were necessarily progressive back then but it was very different. boy meets world for example, a children's/teen show, dealt with topics like race, gender, misogyny, class issues, cross dressing, etc. in a very real and impactful way that felt very human. it's so different today.

[@rayvanhorn1534]

So well said….Disney has completely lost focus on Walt’s vision.

[@cliveklg7739]

@@rayvanhorn1534 a white supremacist anti-Semite... GOOD.

[@ogbobbyjohnson7776]

Gawd you Disney haters are non stop garbage. This whole Disney hate is political and all you know it. Disney will continue to make billions and not care a bit about any of you hating a$$ tricks. Stop suckin on that republican D for once and just enjoy a freakin movie.

[@granadosvm]

In American Football, shotgun is not a play in itself, but a way to align the offensive team (the team that starts with the ball in their hands) to favor certain plays.

[@todderickson2435]

"3 a.m. in the morning is funny to me." Right there with you Simone. It always cracks me up when someone says a.m. and morning, as if there's another possible a.m. besides morning. 😂😂 P.S. George with the win for Orange Julius!! 🤣🤣

[@jamesreece1682]

Love the channel soo much and when Simone told George to F off when the Julius “joke” happened it might have been my favorite show moment 😂

[@gh41996]

The daughter of the white coach is played by a young Hayden Panettiere!

[@michaelo77]

If you like the theme of this one, I think you guys would really like “Lean On Me” starring Morgan Freeman. It’s one people have forgotten about but is among his best performances. “They don’t call me Mr. Clark, they call me bat man!” Classic!

[@tehdipstick]

The "big guy" was played by Ethan Suplee, a very underrated actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. One of his most well known roles is Randy Hickey in the sit-com "My Name Is Earl", but he also features in the movie "Evolution" as well as "American History X", as you mentioned. He's actually lost a lot of weight over the last couple of decades. The little girl you loved so much was played by Hayden Panettiere, who you might know better as Claire from "Heroes".

[@dnish6673]

She had a huge role on the series Nashville.

[@lucas.2.3.9.4]

Ethan Suplee was great in Without A Paddle too 😂

[@brothadude]

Favorite line “he’s getting beat like he stole something “

[@NickolaiVolkov]

Simone's "angry" face is SO adorable!!! To the joke, I say "Well done, George!" 😂😂😂

[@anthonydean1743]

Every time I see that big guy from American History X I just think of his character the 90s series Boy Meets World.

[@pokes404]

Shotgun is a formation where instead of the Quarterback lining up where the Center can directly hand him the ball between his legs, he lines up about 5-7 yards back and the Center snaps the ball back to him. With modern offensive strategies, it's much more common nowadays. In fact, there are many teams at many different levels that run out of Shotgun formations almost inclusively. But back in those days, you really only saw Shotgun formations at the professional level. Hell, I remember going to a college football game in the late 90s and the home team came out for the first play and lined up in a traditional formation. But then, the Quarterback took a few steps backwards to create a Shotgun formation and there was an audible gasp from the 50,000 people in attendance. And again, that was during a high-level college game in the 90s. So yes, seeing a high school team in the 70s do it would have would have been very unexpected.

[@gerstelb]

Interesting note: Election night, 2008. When Obama gave his victory speech, they used the music from this movie. When McCain gave his concession speech, they used the music from Crimson Tide (which also stars Denzel Washington). The actress who played the little girl you liked so much is Hayden Panettiere, who got very big about 5 years later. She did a lot of teen movies, but is probably still most recognized from the series “Heroes.”

[@jamiewilson9280]

Save the cheerleader, save the world!

[@dnish6673]

Main character in the series Nashville

[@joshuazerbe5777]

28:25 "Shotgun" is just play formation where the center snaps the ball to the quarterback between his legs but through the air with the QB standing 3 or so yards away. This formation is more dangerous, since the center typically just snaps the ball between his legs and directly hands the ball to the quarterback, whereas a shotgun play is more susceptible to potential fumbling...however, if completed successfully, shotgun formations allow the QB more time in the pocket to decide what to do, as he is 3 yards further away from the defensive line than usual, allowing him more time to navigate away from the D if necessary. Nowadays shotgun formations are commonplace but this was a fairly new, unknown procedure back in the 70's when this takes place.

[@bradleybowles7979]

This was a totally rad reaction as always! This is my favorite sports movie, I've legit lost count of how many times I've seen it and it never gets old! This movie really hits (pun intended) all the feels and takes a few surprising twists along the way. The soundtrack and the score are top notch and really add to the overall enjoyment of the movie. Y'all's observations and commentary are always fun and interesting so keep up the great work! Many blessings to you and yours.

[@joshuazerbe5777]

2:45 the difference between divisions in American football is actually a lot bigger than you'd expect. For example, in college, whenever an FCS team plays an FBS opponent, the FBS team will be favored significantly, perhaps 7+ touchdown favorites over the FCS opponents, that's how big a difference between divisions can make. Sometimes Vegas doesn't even produce lines and spreads for those games because the two teams simply do not compare on the field. The higher division will always be significant favorites, even some of the worst FBS teams will destroy the best of the FCS. This movie is based on high schools, though, so there may not be as big a difference between them as it is in colleges, however. But the point is, the difference between divisions is actually huge in American football.

[@BryanWhite77]

According to the interviews I have read, the situation wasn't as racially charged as depicted in this movie. TC Williams wasn't the only integrated school as implied, so being integrated was fairly accepted by the time TC Williams came around. Also, the whole "Sunshine kisses Gerry" thing never happened. They took a bunch of different liberties for the movie. I still enjoy it for the movie that it is, it's just not that close to what happened other than the Titans going undefeated that year.

[@msmrsro]

In a broad summary, two teams, one team has possession of the ball. They have four tries to move the ball down the field ten yards by passing or running. If one effort moves along more than ten yards, the four count starts over again. Their teammates are blocking the other team or making opportunities for the team to get down the field. The other team, simultaneously is trying to stop them from moving forward and also get possession of the ball making it their turn to move the opposite way down the field. Getting the ball to their end zone is 6 points after which they can kick for a goal for an extra point or run it into the end zone again for 2. After each completion in the end zone, possession changes to the other team. Alternatively, team can kick for a field goal on their fourth try to get 3 points. Game goes for four 15 minute quarters at which time whichever team has the most points wins. This is my loose understanding of the game. There’s lots of other intricate rules that come into play, but that’s it in a nutshell.

[@louielouie22]

Flight: I believe it was one of Denzel's best and he definitely should have won an Oscar for it.

[@sisterdebmac]

It's endlessly rewatchable. Ryan Hurst and Hayden Panetierre make it for me. And I love reactions to it. Yours was so fun. Love you guys.

[@LibertarianJRT]

So glad you did this movie. This is a movie I watch whenever I see it on TV. A "remote drop" movie. It is so good.

[@ralph1270]

I did not get football at first either. But once you understand the game, and the rules, it is an addicting sport to follow! It is truly a Chess game where territorial and time dominion is what matters at the end. I grew to absolutely LOVE IT‼

[@RenfrewPrume]

A classic movie that holds a special place in my heart because I knew all the real people the movie depicts. I was a senior at T.C. when those events happened. Some old-timers don’t like the movie because it takes great liberties with the facts, but most of us love it because it is great drama with an important lesson. Julius died just a year or two ago after spending many years traveling around the country, giving inspirational talks on race relations. Some truths and untruths: Alexandria was not a southern hick town but a cosmopolitan, metropolitan suburb of 110,000. T.C. had been integrated since 1965 and at the time of the events (1971) was 30% Black. Hammond (Yoast’s school) had just two Black students because it was in the rich end of town, and G.W., in the poor end, was 60% Black. Race was not the main issue at T.C.; school rivalry was the issue, due to the merging of the three schools. Boone was not new to the school. He had been assistant coach at T.C. for two years preceding the events, and he was my P.E. teacher in his first year, when I was a sophomore. I liked Boone a lot and had a good relationship with him even though I was not a football player (I was varsity cross-country and track). As most people know, Bertier’s first car accident was not as shown. It actually occurred in the post season, but the movie changed it for dramatic purposes. T.C.’s hardest game was not in the State Championship, but in the regular season, 21-16 versus Marshall. T.C. had 9 shutouts in 13 games. I saw all the regular season games. Oddly, the team’s best star was not in the movie; he was a running back who led the state in yards and touchdowns. Yoast was one of the best coaches in the state at the time, and there was widespread resentment over Boone’s selection as head coach. It is true that the training camp at Gettysburg transformed the team, and students were marveling over it when they came back. Boone was a hard-driving coach as depicted, but he had a great heart for the game and for his athletes. Singing among the Black athletes (including some basketball players) was a longtime tradition at T.C, usually done in the locker room. The players were allowed to wear their jerseys in school at any time, and they actually acted as a calming influence as depicted briefly in the film. I witnessed an incident where a player used moral suasion and school spirit to stop a fight that was starting. My favorite true thing in the movie is an event I witnessed: Ron Bass’s arrival. It actually occurred at T.C. in the first week after training camp. I was with the cross-country team, warming up at the end of the track straightaway. At the other end, a fancy car drove up the ramp from the parking lot and onto the track. Everyone was amazed; cars weren’t supposed to do that. Ron (with very long hair) and a military officer in uniform (his father) got out of the car and talked to Boone, who had stopped practice and came over to them to see what was going on. Later we learned that he was a hippie quarterback from California. He was terrific, both a fine passer and a great runner. It always kept our opponents guessing.

[@Rocket_Man232]

🔔 GEORGE & SIMONE: According to the screenwriter the movie script was "about 80%" historically accurate. For example: #1) A TOILET (not a brick) was thrown through Coach Boone's window in real life (something he said he never got over). #2) There was NO "Coach's Hall Of Fame" (at that time, although one was created later). #3) Gary Bertier did NOT get seriously injured in a car crash during the season. (It happened AFTER the season was over.)

[@OneArmedRetroGamer]

Also, there was fixed game, the Gettysburg scene never happened and all the schools were integrated. I think 80% is kinda generous

[@jasoncross5831]

0:52 Simone: "Not all Disney movies have singing." Me who knows this movie actually has alot of singing.

[@AcidicHotwire]

My brother is an extra in this movie. The first and only time anyone in my family got on the big screen. Of course, he’s covered in football gear during the games…

[@ellsay8987]

When I was in 8th grade, I saw this movie in class when my class subject was about racism and discrimination. I absolutely loved the story and how emotionally satisfying it was towards the end. Years later after my graduation, I saw the movie again for the second time by myself and I enjoyed it twice as much

[@DizzieMsLizzie]

One of my favorites! I grew up in Virginia close to Alexandria and actually never heard the story before seeing the movie. Another Disney sports movie I would recommend is Miracle. It's the story of the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team and it's fantastic! Always love watching you guys.♥

[@msmrsro]

In US High School sports, the letters identify groupings by school size. Larger schools have larger school bodies and athletic resources compared to small schools so they compete only against other schools in their category.

[@dracoargentum9783]

This was the movie that I discovered Hayden Panettiere; later she was in Heroes.

[@artemisbond9923]

I really like this movie. It’s wholesome and hopeful and has some great acting in it, especially from the younger actors. But the best thing about it is the soundtrack; it really captures the feeling of the early Seventies. It’s one of the few movie soundtracks I still own a hard copy of.

[@KrazyCash]

My middle school gym teacher showed us this movie after it hit VHS release (Kids, a VHS is what we had movies on before 4k discs and internet streaming). It left a lasting impression on me and is one my favorite Disney films. The big white guy who would break into song is played by Ethan Suplee. The actor went a long time struggling with his weight, not to mention drugs and alcohol, but has since turned himself around and gotten absolutely Jacked.

[@samwisegamgee1635]

This is the most out of place movie in my list of favorites. Great characters and great moments. In reality, every school had already been integrated and a lot of the racial stuff was overblown as it often is in movies.

[@sammylane21]

Hayden Panettiere was basically 95% hair in this movie. 😂

[@joshuacoldwater]

4% attitude 1% spunk

[@ilsukdyang8134]

So, a lot of this movie is dramatized to create more conflict, not less. Schools were integrated years before the events of this movie and the TC Williams HS football team was actually much better than depicted in the movie. That state championship that TC Williams barely won in the movie was actually a huge blowout in favor of TC Williams in real life (final score: 27-0). They were such a good team because 2 other schools combined with TC Williams HS before the season started allowing the 3 schools to pool their best players together for an undefeated season with 9 shutouts (which means their opponents didn't score at all in those 9 games, including the state championship game). Also, Gerry wasn't in that accident until after the season was over. Apparently, the scene where Coach Boone pairs a white player with a black player on the buses before camp did actually happen. Also, Sheryl Yoast (the crazy white girl 🤣🤣🤣) was not an only child as depicted in the movie as she had 3 sisters. Apparently, Sheryl died when she was only 34 in 1996 😢😢😢

[@tsmith5420]

True schools in America did start integrating a little before the events of this movie but just because they passed a law on paper doesn't mean all school districts just simply went along with it even till this day you have schools in America that are still segregated to a degree

[@rev.chuckshingledecker]

No, schools were NOT integrated “years before.” On paper segregation was banned in 1964 but due to gerrymandering of districts many schools still were not integrated. Bussing from one neighbor to another began in 1971. It was the bussing that ended segregation in most of the country.

[@12thLevelSithLord]

@@rev.chuckshingledeckerI don't think they mean schools in general, but the particular ones this story is based on.

[@brucewilson5829]

Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin were around during "the rat pack" era of las Vegas 😊

[@gphillimo]

2A 3A 4A 5A ect football just means the more A's the bigger the school/population. More students= more A's. They're basically saying if you have a bigger pool of people to get talented athletes from, you should have a better team. So a school with 6,000 students should theoretically always be better than a school with 1200 students, and they will be classified accordingly.

[@xeno-andrew]

3A was the top in VA in 1970. Epic breakdown on the rest.

[@robertmckinney1898]

I think so many times people dismiss sports as just a bunch of dumb jocks and our energy could be used in so many other areas where it is needed . But above everything, sports bring people together and that is always a good thing to me.

[@pedroV2003]

A couple of replies/comments 1.Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were a comedy team in the 40-50's. Dean was the straight man and Jerry the comedian. Dean is/was a well known singer (think Frank Sinatra, etc.) 2. Football is a physical game but so is hockey. In fact, hockey is probably a tougher game. Players going faster, and when a player is knocked down they land on cold hard ice not grass. Aren't you two Canadian? I'm surprised I even have to comment on this. LOL! 3. I also was curious about the Hollywood vs fact and from what I remember there was plenty liberties taken with the movie.

[@richardyett3985]

Jerry Lewis is one of the biggest comedians in film history. Dean Martin was his partner in the fifties and he was a big singer. They broke up in the late fifties and became big on their own.

[@steelyknives]

Not a comment on the reaction, but doesn’t everyone just LOVE Simone? She’s gotta be the sweetest, prettiest, funniest of all the KZbinrs. I really find myself hoping she loves whatever movie they’re watching. 🤷 And George is good, too. 😉

[@jeremyharris6055]

17:42 - There was a cut scene after this that I WISHED they would have left in. Where Sunshine's father (the military guy) comes in and puts the owner of the restaurant in his place. Was so satisfying.

[@Rocket_Man232]

🔔 I never understood why: #1) The deleted scene where the players return to the racist restaurant and give its owner his well-deserved comeuppance was not included in the original. #2) The woman who does the nice voiceovers which bookend this amazing movie wasn't listed in its credits.

[@royoschroeder]

Yesss such a good movie! Not sure if you did already but you should definitely check out "Rudy", "Radio", and "The Blind Side".

[@nicholasromalo502]

Maybe not The Blind Side due to Michael Oher (the person who the movie is about) personally disliking how the film portrayed him which is fair as it made him seem far less intelligent than he actually is

[@royoschroeder]

​@@nicholasromalo502 true; but even knowing you should take it with a grain of salt bc of that and everything else that came to light, it's still a good movie...

[@cog4life]

Seriously, you’ve never heard about this movie! Soooo glad y’all will watch this!! You will absolutely LOVE IT!!! A classic. I watch it usually a few times a year. Such a great message!! Get ready for some tears 😊😊

[@GaryLBlakeley]

I love this movie. One of my favorite sports movies.

[@Issachar_Strong]

Blood in Blood out is hands down the best Disney movie

[@lainwakura]

Jerry Lewis was a famous comedian, Dean Martin was a famous jazz singer.

[@browncoat001]

"Save the Cheerleader, save the world!"

[@Eldon_is_The_Best]

2:47 AA, AAA, is a system based on how many student are in the school; it’s a way to set divisions for sports and other activities. 2A and 3A are rather small schools. I went to a busy inner city school and we were 5A but it has since grown to be a 6A school.

[@xeno-andrew]

AAA was the largest classification of High Schools in VA during the 1970s. (They didn’t have 4A-6A yet). So not exactly “small” schools for the time. 6A in Texas at least didn’t start until 2013. You are correct with its how they set divisions. Why is because of the level of athletes/academics and stats. A school with 2250+ students is likely to have a better selection of talent than a school with 500 students.

[@christianknight7120]

Feels like being in my gym class again and the semester is coming to an end so the teacher just puts this bad boy into the TV

[@singingwolf3929]

You should see the actor who plays Louie Lastik now (Ethan Suplee). Y'all will be surprised.

[@johnmiller7682]

Hayden Panetteire was the little girl. She was awesome.

[@jefferybarnett6056]

Single A, double A and triple A ( A, AA, AAA ) were just ways of showing the size of the student body. generally thinking was the larger schools had better teams because it had a larger potential player pool to choose from and usually the larger cities would fall into the higher A rating system because they had larger schools with more student body.

[@Brendan1978]

My highschool was in this district but it opened the year after this takes place. I never knew this history until seeing this movie. I do remember TC Williams didn't have lights so they only had day games.

[@panelbypanelshow]

Disney went on a tear with sports movies in the early 2000s with Remember The Titans," "Glory Road," and "Miracle." You should definitely watch the other two.

[@Rocket_Man232]

🔔 FUN FACT: The author of the screenplay had gone into a barber shop of an area that was not his home. While there he heard them very enthusiastically talking about the "great Titans team season of '71". That got his attention and he took the time to research it and... A great movie was born! 🏈

[@robertschuenemann7390]

No, they really did that dance coming on to the field! It was on the national news networks -ALL OF THEM!

[@TearYouApart360]

This is movie they play endlessly on "Movie Day" in Middle & High school. Everyone got a half slice of pizza and a small cup of off-brand soda.

[@PheraohTube]

Always loved this movie and movies like it that changed peoples views of other people through sports. “Radio” is another great football movie that you guys have to check out…and when you get around to it “42” with Chadwick Boseman. “Pride” with Terrance Howard and Bernie Mac is another. Love when movies break barriers… Oh and I almost forgot, the slept on “Gridiron Gang” with The Rock

[@kellanmackenzie5230]

As soon as sports get involved your brains shut down completely and it's hilarious. No amount of context clues can get you to figure out the difference between AA and AAA simply cuz it's about sports lol

[@XC11301991]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I thought in the real history for this story the school was already mixed so there weren't much issues? In fact at that time a lot of schools were already mixed at that point. Much was changed to have a story and conflict, such as the angry friend never being a real person.

[@ilsukdyang8134]

That is true, but you know Disney has to Disney-fy stuff

[@thoneras9611]

Thats why its called "based on a true story" and not "thats the really, really true story 100% true"

[@JoeyEnn]

You can easily google it. Schools in this district were desegregated years earlier but with a lot of resistance. Like only a few were allowed. The events of this film did happen such as the store owner shooting the student, but the riots and protesting in this movie were mild compared to what actually happened based on what has been published by several sources.

[@applejayz1987]

It was integrated, but there was still heavy division. Not only would they still be HEAVILY white majority (location and bias) but there would still be high tensions around it, especially if they were to then integrate the sports, bring in more black players, AND swap staff

[@ThistleAndSea]

Nice one, you two. Such a good movie. It catches you by surprise, doesn't it? Thanks for sharing this one. 🙂

[@Alwhitem21]

This should be a completely forgettable movie, but a really tight script and great performances elevate it into a brilliant movie. They completely missed Hayden Panettiere as the memorable little girl :D . What a stacked cast, overall.

[@nsasupporter7557]

I saw this movie at the theater in 2000 when it first came out. I got burned out on it because they played it non stop at school

[@fuzzy__dunlop]

"Yay sportsball" - Simone. She is the absolute best. 😊 Edit: 7/10 "woo"

[@sammylane21]

My top 3 CCR songs are Up Around The Bend, Born On The Bayou and Bad Moon Rising. Not a CCR song but I love The Old Man Lives Down The Road (I think it's called?).

[@gregpaspatis9425]

It should be explained that in relation to the movie depiction of the 1971 state championship year, the song by Credence Clearwater Revival that was the closest to when the actual football season activity was taking place was their final significant hit song "Sweet Hitchhiker" that was from a vantage point of realism, the most deserving Credence song that would have been the most befitting to be made use of on the movie soundtrack.

[@fajenthygia5760]

Please watch Philadelphia. One of the great movies, a completely different turn from Washington, and a truly fantastic job from Tom Hanks. Not to mention Antonio Banderas...

[@stormywaters1565]

Left side. Strong side. Also that big guy was Ethan Suplee who later went on to lose all his weight and became quite jacked.

[@actualkarenokboomer3158]

Kate Bosworth was 16 and Gosling was 17 when filming. There is a quote from her on the 21st anniversary of the opening that Gosling was a "real sweetheart, but everyone already knows that.". In 1970 it mattered if someone accused you of being gay.

[@richardyett3985]

Some great solo Jerry Lewis films are: Rock A Bye Baby, Cinderfella, Bell Boy, Geisha Boy, Disorderly Orderly, The Big Mouth, Who's Minding The Store, The Ladies Man, Nutty Professor. Some Martin/Lewis films are Hollywood Or Bust, Artists and Models, The Caddy, Sailor Beware. A good film with Jerry Lewis and Robert Deniro is "The King Of Comedy".

[@chelseat177]

Disney was not afraid back in the day! They made a movie called The Color of Friendship, another true story and it touched on apartheid South Africa and racism! Would love for you to see that one and Cool Runnings!

[@dnorwood131]

This is in my top 3 of all time favorite movies. And probably the one I’ve seen the most. Could probably quote this entire movie while it’s on mute.