The latest movie to tackle racial issues is Remember the Titans, an unusually ambitious project from producer Jerry Bruckheimer (whose other recent pictures were Gone in 60 Seconds and Coyote Ugly). Set in 1971 Virginia, the film (based on a true story) takes place at T.C. Williams High School, a once all-white school that desegregates. Suddenly, black and white students are learning together and sharing classrooms.

The winning football team is coached by Bill Yoast (Will Patton). When the desegregation occurs, black players are allowed on the team and a new coach, Herman Boone (Denzel Washington), is made head coach in what amounts to a political move. His appointment causes some initial fury in the community, but when Yoast agrees to stay on as defensive coach, things settle down somewhat. However, there are still problems: the black and white players view themselves as opponents, even though they are playing for the same team.

Denzel Washington leads the team to victory in Remember the Titans

Boone uses a variety of techniques to help his players bond during training camp. They return with a newfound respect for one another. Even star quarterback Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst), one of the most outspoken critics of the new team structure, has learned to like his teammates of a different race. But when they return from training, the players find that the town is not quite as accepting. Their newly acquired open-mindedness is challenged by family and friends. A conspiracy has even been formed to drop Boone as head coach; if he loses just one game, the school plans to give the job back to Yoast.

Remember the Titans is about the way the characters learn to accept one another. The white kids learn to accept the black kids. The black kids learn that not all the white kids fit into the racist redneck stereotype. We get to watch the group dynamics that allow them to become a cohesive group. Boone and Yoast also come to form an alliance. They have natural animosity because of their mutual desire to be head coach; through struggle, they put aside their differences and work for the good of the team. The townsfolk grow too (well, some of them, at least) by recognizing that a winning team makes everyone happy.

While many of the films that deal with racism have an underlying anger, Remember the Titans takes a more upbeat approach. The moral here is that people can - and will -change if given the opportunity. When desegregation forces the two races to share their school, everyone comes to realize that their similarities are greater than their differences.

Director Boaz Yakin has made two other good films: Fresh (about an inner city child who outsmarts the local drug dealers) and A Price Above Rubies (about a Hassidic woman who finds personal liberation). He's the right choice to helm this movie because he has an interest in personalities. Who wins the big football game is not as important as how and why different characters make connections. Yakin aptly dodges the sports movie cliches by keeping the film human-focused.

Washington was probably everyone's first choice for the role of Boone, and for good reason. He's always been a class act - an accomplished actor who projects intelligence and humanity. This is the kind of part at which Washington excels. However, a lot of credit must also go to Will Patton. A consummate character actor with a fierce intensity, he draws his character with very subtle shades. Although never saying or doing anything overtly prejudiced, we can feel Yoast's dislike of the situation and the hurt it has caused him. Later - without any grandstanding or obvious "I've seen the light" overacting - we feel his heart warm to Boone and the black players. That Patton can do this so effectively and so sparsely is a credit to his talent. Quite simply, he deserves a Best Supporting Actor nomination.

If Remember the Titans has a problem, it's that we don't see enough of anyone's outside life. For instance, Boone has a wife and daughter, but they're almost an afterthought. Every single scene in the film is geared toward conveying the film's message; I would have liked to see more about how these characters live away from the stadium and aside from the issue of racism. Opening up their lives to us a little more would have made the picture's very worthwhile message run a bit deeper.

Still, I found Remember the Titans to be both entertaining and inspirational. This is a Walt Disney film, and I suspect the idea was to introduce a difficult subject in a family-friendly way. It's an admirable approach. Maybe if we remind our kids as early as possible that people of all colors are equal, we will someday be able to eradicate racism altogether. This film offers an uplifting vision of that possibility.

( out of four)

Remember the Titans is rated PG for thematic elements and some language. The running time is 1 hour and 53 minutes.