I admit it, I'm such a lover of the over cheesy rubbing the message in your face movies, The Great Debaters was of course going to be no exception. It also won the golden globe for best drama of 2007 and I couldn't wait to see how Denzel does in the director's chair. I rented The Great Debaters and watched it the other day and the main thing about this movie that makes it great is the acting. I mean the story is fantastic, but it couldn't have been told any better because of the three young actors in this movie: Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett, and Denzel Whitaker. We also have stellar performances from Denzel and Forrest as well of course, but it's just these three young actors that I have never seen before or heard of that just blew me away. They presented themselves with class, intelligence, and courage to carry on in the tough world they lived in.
Henry, Samantha, and James are three young black students who have joined a debate team led by Melvin Tolson. They all live in Texas and have to deal with the harsh world of racism, where black people are lynched without knowledge of what they did that was so wrong. But the team pulls in strong together to win several debates despite their color and the ignorance that surrounds them, eventually leading them into competing against Harvard University.
The Great Debaters is just a terrific movie, it's very inspirational and makes you think. Denzel as a director, he could be a little more visionary in my opinion, but he makes a great actor's director because he just delivers all the actor's best. Denzel Whitaker's last debate against Harvard brought me to tears, the honesty that just comes from his words makes you want to stand up and clap after his speech. I would very much recommend The Great Debaters, it is worth the watch and I'm sure will have you cheering at the end.
8/10
Henry, Samantha, and James are three young black students who have joined a debate team led by Melvin Tolson. They all live in Texas and have to deal with the harsh world of racism, where black people are lynched without knowledge of what they did that was so wrong. But the team pulls in strong together to win several debates despite their color and the ignorance that surrounds them, eventually leading them into competing against Harvard University.
The Great Debaters is just a terrific movie, it's very inspirational and makes you think. Denzel as a director, he could be a little more visionary in my opinion, but he makes a great actor's director because he just delivers all the actor's best. Denzel Whitaker's last debate against Harvard brought me to tears, the honesty that just comes from his words makes you want to stand up and clap after his speech. I would very much recommend The Great Debaters, it is worth the watch and I'm sure will have you cheering at the end.
8/10