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The Great Debaters (2007)
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Overview
Tagline:
When the nation was in need, he inspired them to give us hope.Plot:
A drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship. full summary | add synopsisPlot Keywords:
moreAwards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(7 articles)
Denzel Washington to star in ‘Book of Eli’ (From screeninglog. 5 September 2008, 11:42 AM, PDT)
Washington's 'Great Debaters' Leads Image Awards Nominations (From WENN. 10 January 2008)
User Comments:
Review - The Great Debaters (2007) moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Denzel Washington | ... | Melvin B. Tolson |
 | Nate Parker | ... | Henry Lowe |
 | Jurnee Smollett | ... | Samantha Booke |
 | Denzel Whitaker | ... | James Farmer Jr. |
 | Jermaine Williams | ... | Hamilton Burgess |
 | Forest Whitaker | ... | Dr. James Farmer Sr. |
 | Gina Ravera | ... | Ruth Tolson |
 | John Heard | ... | Sheriff Dozier |
 | Kimberly Elise | ... | Pearl Farmer |
 | Devyn A. Tyler | ... | Helen Farmer (as Devyn Tyler) |
 | Trenton McClain Boyd | ... | Nathaniel Farmer |
 | Ritchie Montgomery | ... | Deputy |
 | Jackson Walker | ... | Pig Owner |
 | Tim Parati | ... | Pig Farmer |
 | Robert X. Golphin | ... | Dunbar Reed |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for depiction of strong thematic material including violence and disturbing images, and for language and brief sexuality.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
126 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreMOVIEmeter: 
3% since last week
why?
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The diploma hanging in Dr. James Farmer's study is an authentic copy provided to the art department by Boston University archivist Kara Jackman. moreGoofs:
Anachronisms: When Prof. Tolson lectures his students about the origin of the word "lynching," he is referring to the so-called Willie Lynch Letter or Willie Lynch Speech, which is widely believed to be a contemporary hoax. There is no historical or archival record of it prior to the 1990s (when it began to appear on the Internet), so a 1930s professor could not cite it. moreQuotes:
Samantha: [after James protests his inability to debate with Samantha or Henry] James, you're the best researcher I've ever seen. We couldn't do this without you.James Farmer Jr.: [angrily] Oh, there's PLENTY you do without me!
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Soundtrack:
My Soul is a Witness moreFAQ
What is the name of the marshland town in Texas where the roadhouse was?more
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James Farmer (Denzel Whitaker) was an average black child of the 1930's when he joined Melvin B. Tolson's (Denzel Washington) debate team. The true story of their fight against the odds is portrayed in "The Great Debaters."
If you ever want a deja vu, this is the movie to watch. I've seen this movie before, only then it was called "Remember the Titans." The sports may be different, and this one may be more dramatic, but it's not original and follows the same pattern as the countless other team-defying-the-odds movies.
The acting was good, the story itself was inspirational, but the whole message is a little old these days. Honestly, I think they've played the race card to death by now. We get it, black people were treated badly, but things have changed and we need to stop reminding ourselves of the bad times. Racism today is a crumb of society, but a lot of people won't let you realize that.
But enough of my little rant. "The Great Debaters" is a good movie, but certainly a forgettable one that didn't live up to the enjoyment of movies such as the aforementioned "Remember the Titans." Go rent that one instead.
Acting: 9/10 Writing: 7/10 Video/Editing: 7/10 Audio/Music: 7/10 Entertainment: 5/10
Final Score: 7/10