Feminist Film Review by Kai Burton

Remember the Titans

The film that I’m reviewing is Remember the Titans, growing up it was one of my favorite movies, and I am happy to notice that it passes both the Bechdel and the Mako Mori test. Remember the Titans is about a white Virginia high school football team that has to integrate with a black high school that was recently closed. When the two football teams merge not only do the players need to learn to work together but the coaches too. Both coaches have two younger daughters, the white coach has a daughter named Sheryl and the black coach has a daughter named Carol. Both young women interact and chat about football and toys. While both young women aren’t really women it passes both test in my head, because neither test specifies age. The movie is an amazing representation of friendship, camaraderie and teamwork through all the perspectives that are evident in the movie.

What’s even better is that Remember the Titans also passes my test, which requires a movie to have at least two female characters with a prominent role in the film, each with their own story arc. They must conversate about something other than men and should not seem to be “in competition” with each other and at least one of the women must be a woman of color. Essentially my test is the same as the Bechdel and Mako Mori test, but with an added requirement about race.