The Great Debaters (B or 3/4 stars)
Based on a true story, and directed by Denzel Washington, 'The Great Debaters' tells a story about Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel), an English professor at Texas' Wiley College. In 1935, Melvin inspired his students to form the school's very first debate team, which eventually went on to challenge USC for the national championship. They defeat Harvard in the movie; they use 'this' school to emphasize the great achievement they made, and continue to make for 10 undefeated years further. The film (mostly about racial inequality) is earnest, & inspirational. Its young supporting actors are superb. But it strains to entertain, at times.
Melvin Tolson's team of black debaters consists of 1) Henry Lowe (Nate Parker), an outspoken fellow who knows how to finesse words, and women. 2) Hamilton Burgess (Jermaine Williams), a brilliant young man whose conservative ways get IN the way of his debating. 3) Samantha Brooke (a great Jurnee Smollett, where has she been?), the only gal on the team, hopes to gain experience en route to becoming a rare female black attorney in the state of Texas. And 4) 14 yr. old James Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker, no relation to Denzel Washington or Forrest Whitaker, who's also in this film and plays James' father). James is a prodigy who gets his work ethic from his dad, a family man, respected preacher, and fellow professor at Wiley.
When Tolston isn't secretly working as an organizer for a sharecropper's union, he's devoting his time & energy to the students. Originally setting out to put the foursome against 'other' black debating teams, Tolston's foursome goes on an undefeated run. This enables them to set their goals higher than ever. A challenge is put forth for his team to take-on National Champion Harvard. Once (and/or if) Harvard agrees to the debate, it would be the 1st black vs. white face-off for the National title. Emotions run high, controversial topics arise, and Wiley's debate team answers as eloquently as possible.
As we now know, they go on to win. But its' the films showing of the 'run to the win' that I'm critiquing now ... and it's pretty darn good. Using light humor, heavy melodrama, & historical facts, Washington weaves an impressive plot. I like how these 4 kids interacted with each other; though, a tiresome 3-way love triangle 'does' bog things down a bit. I like how families are portrayed in the film; tight units, lots of criticism, but lots of love. And watching this team struggle to defend their rights, their thoughts (however against the grain of the majority), and their aspirations, is something to behold. None of these kids are perfect, but they're human, and they're smart. We can relate to their characters, as human beings.
Though it's an awful topic, I learned a great deal about the Civil Rights Movement (from the black perspective) by watching this film. Skin color is a huge part of the story, but it's also about achieving dreams in a harrowing era. No one ever said the Jim Crow South in the 1930's was easy. And there are a few horrifying scenes to swallow (one concerning a pig, one concerning a lynching). These scenes are necessary because they showed how each young individual reacts differently to the situations at hand. It's an uplifting film in the end. Denzel & Forrest share a superb scene midway through the film. And 'The Great Debaters' is aided greatly by the fine young actors. Their journey is handled with utmost sensitivity & nobility (too much, though?). The film is predictable. It's often heavy-handed. And I certainly wasn't jumping out of my seat in rapture. But it's a very nice film whose obvious faults are overwhelmed by polished filmmaking & good intentions.
Melvin Tolson's team of black debaters consists of 1) Henry Lowe (Nate Parker), an outspoken fellow who knows how to finesse words, and women. 2) Hamilton Burgess (Jermaine Williams), a brilliant young man whose conservative ways get IN the way of his debating. 3) Samantha Brooke (a great Jurnee Smollett, where has she been?), the only gal on the team, hopes to gain experience en route to becoming a rare female black attorney in the state of Texas. And 4) 14 yr. old James Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker, no relation to Denzel Washington or Forrest Whitaker, who's also in this film and plays James' father). James is a prodigy who gets his work ethic from his dad, a family man, respected preacher, and fellow professor at Wiley.
When Tolston isn't secretly working as an organizer for a sharecropper's union, he's devoting his time & energy to the students. Originally setting out to put the foursome against 'other' black debating teams, Tolston's foursome goes on an undefeated run. This enables them to set their goals higher than ever. A challenge is put forth for his team to take-on National Champion Harvard. Once (and/or if) Harvard agrees to the debate, it would be the 1st black vs. white face-off for the National title. Emotions run high, controversial topics arise, and Wiley's debate team answers as eloquently as possible.
As we now know, they go on to win. But its' the films showing of the 'run to the win' that I'm critiquing now ... and it's pretty darn good. Using light humor, heavy melodrama, & historical facts, Washington weaves an impressive plot. I like how these 4 kids interacted with each other; though, a tiresome 3-way love triangle 'does' bog things down a bit. I like how families are portrayed in the film; tight units, lots of criticism, but lots of love. And watching this team struggle to defend their rights, their thoughts (however against the grain of the majority), and their aspirations, is something to behold. None of these kids are perfect, but they're human, and they're smart. We can relate to their characters, as human beings.
Though it's an awful topic, I learned a great deal about the Civil Rights Movement (from the black perspective) by watching this film. Skin color is a huge part of the story, but it's also about achieving dreams in a harrowing era. No one ever said the Jim Crow South in the 1930's was easy. And there are a few horrifying scenes to swallow (one concerning a pig, one concerning a lynching). These scenes are necessary because they showed how each young individual reacts differently to the situations at hand. It's an uplifting film in the end. Denzel & Forrest share a superb scene midway through the film. And 'The Great Debaters' is aided greatly by the fine young actors. Their journey is handled with utmost sensitivity & nobility (too much, though?). The film is predictable. It's often heavy-handed. And I certainly wasn't jumping out of my seat in rapture. But it's a very nice film whose obvious faults are overwhelmed by polished filmmaking & good intentions.