Review of The Great Debaters (2007) by Derek M — 02 Aug 2008
This is Denzel Washington doing what he could probably do in his sleep... inspirational monologue-ing. It's a reprisal of Remember the Titans with debate in the place of football. And, let's face it, there has got to be only a very small audience for debate movies.
The acting is very good and actors like Whitaker and Washington probably saved this film from flopping completely. I do feel like some of the actors were picked for their monologue chops and not so much for the emotive acting/reacting needed for every non-debate scene (particularly the character of James Jr.
). Still, yeah it's sappy, but you're left with the inspiration-in-a-can feeling, so I guess the film works to that end. And it never hurts to be reminded of our country's past, to see trials that people once faced, trials that we'll never have to.
This review of The Great Debaters (2007) was written by Derek M on 02 Aug 2008.
The Great Debaters has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
