The Great Debaters

Posted by Nathan Deen (nathan@filmschoolrejects.com) on December 30, 2007

The Great Debaters takes lessons from Freedom Writers, this year’s earlier surprise drama about an inspirational teacher, and shows that competent filmmaking can overcome predictability and unoriginality, no matter how trite the genre may be. Denzel Washington helms his second motion picture and shows he has worthy skills behind the camera as well as in front of it, although there’s no question as to which he does best. With the majority of his cast being young actors, and with precious little screen time between himself and co-star Forest Whitaker, Washington commands the screen with force and uplifting intensity. Rather than preach, Washington says everything he needs to through his powerful performance and the movie it self stays focused on the characters, the setting, and the plot.

Washington plays Melvin Tolson, a professor and debate coach at Wiley College (Texas), an all-black school. The Great Debaters is the underdog tale of how the 1935 Wiley debate team influenced the Civil Rights movement (one member went on to be a lead activist) by discussing race issues, even against white colleges. The team is composed of Henry Lowe (Nate Parker, Pride), an ambitious and passionate youngster in need of the guidance of a role model, Samantha Booke (Jurnee Smollett, 2006’s Gridiron Gang), an aspiring lawyer and the first female to ever make the debate team, James Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker, no relation), the brilliant 14-year old son of local minister James Farmer Sr. (Forest Whitaker), and Hamilton Burgess (Jermaine Williams, Stomp the Yard), a returning team member from the previous year.

My problem with these teammates comes at the beginning when Tolson is hosting tryouts at his home. There is never any question or suspense that it will end up being these four that make the team, even though three of them are suspicious choices; one being somewhat of a rebel, one being a girl, and the other being a 14-year old boy. Luckily, this does happen at the beginning and the film slowly but surely makes up for it. The performances are solid across the board and the potential relationship between Henry and Samantha is well written and far from saccharine.

Denzel Whitaker is certainly an actor to watch as his name is the culmination of two of the finest African American actors working today (3 Academy Awards between the two). It also helps that he is a fine young actor, showing a high maturity level in a particularly delicate and touching scene in which he describes a lynching that he and his teammates witness. That scene he describes is also a welcome dark side and it adds a little extra depth to the story. As James Farmer Sr., Forest Whitaker is excellent as a man who knows his priorities, which includes family above non-religious beliefs. A perfect scene is on display when Farmer Sr. kills a pig with his car as he and his family are driving home. The pig belongs to white ranchers, potentially dangerous individuals, and he ends up surrendering the racial equality battle for the sake of protecting his family.

What I liked most about the film is that it doesn’t talk the audience to death. Washington only focuses on the key debate matches (about four of them) and wisely doesn’t waste any time with the insignificant or unnecessary ones. He pushes all the right buttons here and knows when to use these scenes for compelling, dramatic effect and for climatic inspiration. The Great Debaters is still far from great; predictability and contrivances inevitably take their toll, but with solid acting, an uplifting mood that is almost impossible to resist, and a heart, the movie overcomes those obstacles in the end. After all, overcoming obstacles is what films like these are all about, right?

Grade: B

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