Review of The Great Debaters (2007) by Tony U — 20 Aug 2008

I enjoyed this movie because it was based on a true story and documents a very real racist America.

As usual, Denzel Washington was his charismatic self, but I was moved more strongly by one of my favorite actors, Forest Whitaker. Denzel Whitaker, who I am assuming is Forest Whitaker's real life son played the same role in the movie and like his father, has a powerfully glowing charisma.

Despite Denzel Washington's character acting cliches, his trademark sucking in of his lower lip as if holding back tears (or more aptly looking as if he just sucked on a lemon or lime), his energy was crucial to the success of this movie about a small African American college in a Depression Era-Racist plagued Texas that had a debate team strong enough to defeat Harvard's debate team.

I enjoyed the powerfull acting chemistry between F. Whitaker/Washington when they were arguing about where his son had been after 1am.

Although predictable, Denzel Whitaker's delivery of their debate team's final concluding argument against Harvard, when he argued affirmative that acting against a law can be a moral act was uplifting and heartfelt; a bit reminiscent, but on a stronger level, of the ending in the movie "The Dead Poet's Society.".

This was a very entertaining dramatic movie of a very intriguing and important story of a group of individuals who prevailed in a world that was not prepared to listen to them in a not so distant past.