The Great Debaters (2007)

Featured Audience Ratings

• danny d

  
  an amazing film without question. let me start with my disclaimer, denzel admitted to knowingly and willfully changing major facts in this story for the purpose of manufacturing extra "inspiration". I am strongly against this practice in films based on true stories. if… More
  an amazing film without question. let me start with my disclaimer, denzel admitted to knowingly and willfully changing major facts in this story for the purpose of manufacturing extra "inspiration". I am strongly against this practice in films based on true stories. if the story is worth telling, tell it the way it happened, if you need to change the story too much then its not worth telling. the acting on every front was absolutely phenomenal, the story despite the inaccuracies was beautiful, and the film was shot well and very engaging.

• Raymond W

  
  When it comes to the racial issues touched upon in this film, we only skim the surface, but when it comes to the art of debating, this film is more than a regular formula drama of similar subject matter. It's engrossing, well-written, inspiring, and powerfully acted all round.… More
  When it comes to the racial issues touched upon in this film, we only skim the surface, but when it comes to the art of debating, this film is more than a regular formula drama of similar subject matter. It's engrossing, well-written, inspiring, and powerfully acted all round. I would expect nothing less than stardom for Nate Parker and Jurnee Smollett very soon.

• erika b

  
  The great debaters are based on a true story about an all black debate team journey to the top. Over time they all white debate teams that are prejudice of the black students. The black debate team became so close that they vow that will not give in to hard times. Then soothing bad… More
  The great debaters are based on a true story about an all black debate team journey to the top. Over time they all white debate teams that are prejudice of the black students. The black debate team became so close that they vow that will not give in to hard times. Then soothing bad happen that torn the team part. Will they stay together or go there separated ways.

• familiar s

  
  I wanted to see it since long, but wasn't much eager due to its (boring) title. I wasn't too keen to watch a bunch of teams debate. However, after being crushed to death by Deadgirl, this one helped making me feel alive. Besides, it exceeded my expectations by and large.… More
  I wanted to see it since long, but wasn't much eager due to its (boring) title. I wasn't too keen to watch a bunch of teams debate. However, after being crushed to death by Deadgirl, this one helped making me feel alive. Besides, it exceeded my expectations by and large. Almost everything seemed in place. Almost. At times, the character Samantha Booke sounds over histrionic. Her body language also becomes too dramatic at those points. I don't know who's to blame for this (the actress or the director). And I've no intention whatsoever of holding a debate on it!!! But the movie was indeed great IMO.

• Josh L

  
  A smart film that deals with racism and many other themes with an unflinching and humane touch. Great performances from everyone, including the newcomers, helps elevate it beyond the predictability since it's basically a sports movie in disguise. It drags a little in the middle,… More
  A smart film that deals with racism and many other themes with an unflinching and humane touch. Great performances from everyone, including the newcomers, helps elevate it beyond the predictability since it's basically a sports movie in disguise. It drags a little in the middle, but I thought it picked itself back up again in the final 30 minutes.

• Dan S

  
  A solid drama concerning a little-touched on subject, how an African American college debate team came together during a painful period in American History. Washington, as always, makes this film watchable due to a dominant performance of a respected leader who was influential to his… More
  A solid drama concerning a little-touched on subject, how an African American college debate team came together during a painful period in American History. Washington, as always, makes this film watchable due to a dominant performance of a respected leader who was influential to his students. He just has that rare ability to make movies with some very cliched elements watchable due to his great acting ability. The ending debate really brings the goods, too.

• Red L

  
  A feel good movie about the debating team at a 1930's all black Wiley College. They have quite the uphill battle as during the 30's, black schools are segregated and underfunded and in fact Negroes still are lynched occasionally.

• paul s

  
  As I ponder this film I'm recalling other films that had foundations of competition, like Rocket Science and Akila And The Bee. Sure, the outcome is a contrivence (but here I wasn't so sure, as simply getting invited to Harvard and holding your own in a debate was victory… More
  As I ponder this film I'm recalling other films that had foundations of competition, like Rocket Science and Akila And The Bee. Sure, the outcome is a contrivence (but here I wasn't so sure, as simply getting invited to Harvard and holding your own in a debate was victory enough - so much so that the awarding of the trophy seemed an anti-climatic afterthought), and yet the true measure of a film is that you feel invested in the charactors enough to feel good about their victories. Denzel does a nice job of bringing many of the charactors to life - so you sense their complexity, making them real instead of cardboard cutouts who recite lines in order to move the plot along. The morality lesson is well coached without being overly preachy - the horror of bigotry is still with us today, and should never be tolerated in a civilized culture. The film brings to bear those horrors and is essential to the depth of the charactors and what they were up against; to have sidestepped the issue to become more palatable to the masses would have been defeating on so many levels. There are some excellent scenes between Denzel and Forrest Whitaker that sizzle with life, and the performance of young Denzel Whitaker is amazing, showing the depth and range of an adult mind that can analize adult situations, and yet is an emotional adolescent. This theme carries through several charactors, all who are complex thinking and feeling creatures. Even the female lead - one might start to role your eyes and say "of course" when she falls for the lightning rod on the debate team - but she has much more to say and give - especially when she returns to the team - tacitly saying that what they are trying to accomplish is bigger than any one persons' feelings. There are some wonderfully filmed moments and great camera work and use of lighting. My only negative feelings came from a couple of things that I felt were incongruous - Denzel's appearance at the end of the debate - after he said he wasn't allowed out of Texas. This speaks to a deeper issue - the film takes place during the depression, and yet these poor black folk, from a small black college, are able to have brass instuments for the band (expensive!!!!) and then travel to Boston - even if they received room and board, the train fare should have been prohibitive - and then for Denzel to make a seperate trip.... ah well - small nit on what was overall a well put together film.

• Bobby H

  
  This movie is okay. I personally think it was over-hyped and that Washington should perhaps continue acting and directing smaller projects until he ripens a bit. I was not impressed by this movie, it was the first Denzel Washington movie, that I did not absolutely love.… More
  This movie is okay. I personally think it was over-hyped and that Washington should perhaps continue acting and directing smaller projects until he ripens a bit. I was not impressed by this movie, it was the first Denzel Washington movie, that I did not absolutely love. Don't let this stray you away from the film though. It has some great debat moments, some wonderful young leading actors, and truly shows the struggle of the times, more so, what African American's were facing. It's a moving film, and it's true, but it's still hard to not feel like "we've seen this before" and to get a little tired through out it. It's good, but it's not as good as you've heard. Still you should check it out.

• Bruce B

  
  This one is simple to review, no matter your outlook on life and the things around you, this is a must see movie. As throughout the movie there are many facts, I said facts that most people are unaware of. I am not talking black vs white, I am talk points brought out about historical… More
  This one is simple to review, no matter your outlook on life and the things around you, this is a must see movie. As throughout the movie there are many facts, I said facts that most people are unaware of. I am not talking black vs white, I am talk points brought out about historical people, writers, and others, that are left untaught by most schools government or private. I myself was unaware of this debate team, matter fact I had no idea what a debate team did, Now that I know, I can only wish I was back in high school, would have enjoyed a debate team. The Movie is 5 stars. Now keep any bias to yourself and sit back and enjoy some of the best acting your going to see in the 2008-2009 time frame.

• Luke B

  
  If you don't think there are quite enough films out there detailing the struggle for the rights of black people, or enough films about an underdog team facing off against the favourites then here's another film for you. Luckily it is handled with great care and attention by… More
  If you don't think there are quite enough films out there detailing the struggle for the rights of black people, or enough films about an underdog team facing off against the favourites then here's another film for you. Luckily it is handled with great care and attention by Washington who is actually only the support for a very young lead cast. The best scenes are those with both Washington and Whitaker acting off, those these are few and far between. There are far more interesting issues below the surface here, such as the fight for a union which is uniting whites and blacks (even racist seeming ones) in secrecy for a better life. Washingtons political ties are also often hinted at, but as he says his own politics are not important. Not to the main story that is, but you know it's going to end in a speech, and you can see the final address will be spoken by the most nervous and youngest member of the debate team and so on. A great film to watch unfold, but not entirely engrossing when all the pieces are laid out.

• Jason S

  
  I didn't really see anything special in this flick. You knew how it was going to go down from the beginning. The acting was good but nothing special. Whitaker was excellent though. I was surprised that the debating part of the movie was somewhat a B story in the whole thing.

• Julie B

  
  Pretty boring, even when trapped on a plane with nothing else to do.

• Manu G

  
  Excellent movie! I enjoy every minute of it, it truly was worth watching. True story of professor Melvin B. Tolson who formed a debate team at a small, African American college in the 1930s. The team went on to beat Harvard in the national debate championships.

• Michael S

  
  I think I might be the only one who found this embarrisingly bad considering all the talent involved. It's every underdog cliche wrapped around a triumphant story that deserves a film much, much better (and a lot less boring). Denzel has misfired...now he owes us another Antwone… More
  I think I might be the only one who found this embarrisingly bad considering all the talent involved. It's every underdog cliche wrapped around a triumphant story that deserves a film much, much better (and a lot less boring). Denzel has misfired...now he owes us another Antwone Fisher!

• Aaron N

  
  Tolson: I want you to do something for me. Samantha: What? Tolson: Win. These are the kind of lines that make this well made film fit into the category of "the heartwarming sports movie about underdogs" that seems to come out every year. Denzel Washington directs and stars… More
  Tolson: I want you to do something for me. Samantha: What? Tolson: Win. These are the kind of lines that make this well made film fit into the category of "the heartwarming sports movie about underdogs" that seems to come out every year. Denzel Washington directs and stars in a movie produced by Oprah about a debate team at a small black college in Texas. Because of how smart the students are, their teacher, Melvin Tolson played by Washnigton, eventually gets them to go up against Harvard. This movie is set in 1930s Texas, and that time period is used to show the the effects that race and the depression had on that time. Tolson himself has a double life, where at night he goes to secret meetings trying to assemble a mixed race sharecroppers union, and questions later come up concerning his own politics. The students on the team include the smart and suave, but sometimes drunk and mysterious kid. The new girl, who is the only girl on the debate team. And a young boy, who is very smart and will have to be the one to give the big speech at the end. His father is another teacher, played by Forest Whitaker. These performances are all very strong. Seeing Washington and Whitaker together alone makes me think of better combinations in the future for the two. It is a well made movie as well. The direction is good enough and the score uses a lot of 20s and 30s blues tracks to make things work. Its the inability of this movie to stray from the standard sports movie formula that doesn't make it anything special. The movie has many predictable points taking away from some of the emotion needed. Two giant cliches come near the end involving the "smart butler" character and one person arriving at the last second for moral support. This is a fine movie and an entertaining one, but nothing new. Tolson: Resolved.

• William D

  
  [size=3]"The Great Debaters," from director [b]Denzel Washington[/b], is not a complex film. It operates within a very familiar mass-entertainment genre. But it takes all the good aspects of that genre and jettisons the weak ones to produce a movie that is moving and rousing… More
  [size=3]"The Great Debaters," from director [b]Denzel Washington[/b], is not a complex film. It operates within a very familiar mass-entertainment genre. But it takes all the good aspects of that genre and jettisons the weak ones to produce a movie that is moving and rousing on many levels. Its existence, furthermore, is good for America's soul.[/size] [img]http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/070814/greatdebaters_l.jpg[/img] [size=3]The formula may be familiar, but this mobilization of it is not sappy. There are flashes of brilliance and toughness, and the acting fairly crackles, led by not one but two Oscar winners: Mr.Washington [/size][size=3]himself, who explodes with enthusiasm in every scene he's in, and the rock-solid [b]Forest Whitaker[/b], playing a strict, conservative minister struggling to maintain his dignity in the midst of recurring racist humiliation.[/size] [size=3]The direction, editing and sound are also so good that the film pulls you in from the opening shot and doesn't let go. The script is whip-smart at times, producing several instances of dialogue-driven fireworks such as you rarely see in movies today. It also pays such honorable tribute to the 1930s generation of Black Americans, who struggled to do civilized things like build and run colleges despite unimaginable incivility and murderousness directed at them, that the film has a special moral dimension that makes it soar. This is one of the rare films with a deep sense of honor. ("The Kite Runner" and "The Pursuit of Happyness" are the only two other recent ones that come to mind.)[/size] [size=3]America desperately needs more films like this. Bravo to Washington and Whitaker (and producer [b]Oprah Winfrey[/b]) for lending their star power to a selfless project concerned entirely about improving the lives of ordinary Americans. What a gigantic act of generosity on their parts.[/size] [size=3]The people most impacted by the film I think will be black and white teenagers and children. I pray that millions of parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles take their children. The white children will see an honest, humane depiction of the horrors and humiliations of racism. This will likely combat any forces in their lives steering them in a racist direction. B[/size][size=3]lack children will see one of the only depictions they will ever see of whole black communities built around education and books. This will help them see that African-American culture contains a very deep intellectual strain in it. If they are the bookish type, they will see that they are not alone. [/size] [size=3]Part of what helps propel a young person to college and helps him or her get through the difficult times of an education is the feeling of joining an educated culture. This film will make a bookish black child feel less alone, perhaps especially the boys. Denzel Washington has here constructed a role model for black boys like they've almost never had before. [/size][size=3]That can only be good for America's soul.[/size] [size=3]How many other movies can you say such things about?[/size] [size=3]A brief synopsis of the plot: Washington plays a Literature professor at an obsure black college in Texas in the 1930s. The character is a marvel in front of the classroom. He's tough as nails, but probably the most deeply devoted and intellectually sophisticated professor in all of Texas. Washington is like a tornado in all his scenes, dispensing wisdom and instruction at 100 crackling miles an hour.[/size] [size=3]He is also coach of the college's debating team, which attracts the school's best and brightest. Only four students each year are chosen for the team. We watch the students try out, and we get to know the four that are chosen, who are so good that they begin to attract attention around the academic world. Due to the professor's tireless promotion of their successes, they get invited to debate the Harvard debating team in Cambridge.[/size] [size=3]Along the way they encounter their own struggles beyond that of learning to debate, and all these threads are woven together beautifully. Director Washington and his editor have shown themselves to be an extraordinary team. There is not a weak moment in this film. It sweeps you along like whitewater rapids, but also taking prudent pauses at the most opportune times.[/size]

• Mister C

  
  This was the true story of Professor Melvin B. Tolson,who formed a debate team at a small African-American college(Wiley College) in rural Texas in the 1930's and made his team overcome obstacles to achieve the ultimate goal inspite of the racial barriers that affective them.… More
  This was the true story of Professor Melvin B. Tolson,who formed a debate team at a small African-American college(Wiley College) in rural Texas in the 1930's and made his team overcome obstacles to achieve the ultimate goal inspite of the racial barriers that affective them. Denzel Washington not only directs that masterpiece of entertainment but also stars as the professor who instills his students the tools to succeed. This movie has OSCAR written all over it and seeing two of the greatest actors of our time(Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker,both Oscar winners)together in one astounding picture that ranks as one of the best of 2007.

• Rico Z

  
  I can definitely see why this film is one of the seven included in the Golden Globes' Best Picture category this year. It's got all the winning ingredients: a great cast, a great story, script and director. But along with those ingredients comes a formula. In this case,… More
  I can definitely see why this film is one of the seven included in the Golden Globes' Best Picture category this year. It's got all the winning ingredients: a great cast, a great story, script and director. But along with those ingredients comes a formula. In this case, that formula is taking a group of oppressed and enlightening them through education and inspiring the audience through this once-oppressed group's triumph over adversity. Denzel Washington does an amazing job both on and off-camera. His skill as a filmmaker is just as good as his skill as an actor--and this movie is very much an actor's movie. It caters to the cast delving into their performance and creating a powerful emotion bond with the audience through their character and their character's troubles. This film works well as a period piece of one of the darkest times in American history (for Whites it was the Depression--for Blacks, it was the Depression AND being Blacks.) The themes of segregation, racism, philosophy, enlightenment and civil disobedience permeate throughout and leave you feeling good when the outcome is revealed. It's essentially a feel-good movie (but one that tends to delve into sentimentality and preachiness a bit too often for effect.) The film will likely pick-up some Oscar nominations, but it is unlikely to win any BIG awards due to the films innocent and naive approach to such hefty subjects. In short, the film feels ever-so-slightly more substantial than, say, Remember the Titans. Both great movies in their own right...but just not GREAT enough. Therefore, I leave half a star to attest for the films shortcomings (which are few and far between, but present nonetheless.)

• Byron B

  
  OK movie, not awesome. I was more impressed by Nate Parker than Denzel Whitaker (no relation to Forest). Nate Parker reminded me of Denzel Washington in Glory in a way. It was a good story, but at times the actions and dialog of the characters seemed to come out of nowhere. The… More
  OK movie, not awesome. I was more impressed by Nate Parker than Denzel Whitaker (no relation to Forest). Nate Parker reminded me of Denzel Washington in Glory in a way. It was a good story, but at times the actions and dialog of the characters seemed to come out of nowhere. The students' motivations were too roughly developed to allow their actions to make sense throughout the whole movie. I think this falls on the shoulders of the screenplay writers and Denzel Washington who is perhaps not the best director yet.

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