Review of The Great Debaters (2007) by Brian B — 22 Mar 2010
A perfectly respectable drama, made from the Inspiring Sports Movie template but centered around a college debate team. All the points are there: the plucky underdogs, the unlikely victories, the defeats that come as the result of intra-team squabbling, the triumphant finale, and so on.
The structure of the script is not original, no, but Robert Eisele's screenplay is just sophisticated enough to be above average (the debate scenes are brimming with thoughtful speeches), and Washington's direction is smooth.
The film is a little more elegant than the usual by-the-numbers Inspiring Sports Movie.
This review of The Great Debaters (2007) was written by Brian B on 22 Mar 2010.
The Great Debaters has generally received positive reviews.
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