FilmJabber Movie Reviews

Login | Join | Help

Search

Great Debaters, The (2007)

Movie trailers Buy DVD at Amazon Click here to buy posters!
Release Date: December 25, 2007 (Limited)
On DVD: May 13, 2008
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 123 minutes
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for depiction of strong thematic material including violence and disturbing images, and for language and brief sexuality.
Director: Denzel Washington
Writer: Robert Eisele
Cast: Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Jurnee Smollett, Denzel Whitaker, Kimberly Elise, Nate Parker

Set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow South and inspired by a true story, "The Great Debaters" chronicles the journey of a brilliant but volatile coach (Denzel Washington) who uses the power of words to shape a group of underdog students from a small, modest black college in East Texas into an elite debate team while challenging the social mores of the time, culminating with a groundbreaking invitation to debate Harvard's championship team. Read more

Movie Review

Grade: B+ The latest in a subset genre I like to call "teacher genres", The Great Debaters is Denzel Washington's second directorial effort after the critically acclaimed Antwone Fisher. Washington also stars as Melvin B. Tolson, a teacher who led his all-black debate team to go up against a white school - Harvard, no less - for the first time in history.

Read the full movie review

Movie Photos

User Comments & Reviews

No one has commented on this movie yet! Be the first!