"The Great Debaters" (2007) - Movie Review

“The Great Debaters” does not work as the regular formula sports/competition oriented film. Instead it addresses the condition set in a society evolving on its own through many personalities who were ready to step up, voice and revolutionize the people. Set in 1935 as the racial discrimination and hatred crime still going unnoticed and some place even legal enough to burn an African American in a cross, the debate team of Wiley College coached by Mr. Tolson (Denzel Washington) comprising of James Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker), Samantha Booke (Jurnee Smollett), Henry Lowe (Nate Parker) and Hamilton Burgess (Jermaine Williams) excelled in the midst of those cruelty and opposition.

The film mainly sets forth through the eyes of a remarkable boy at the age fourteen that through his fast academic excellence is in college and in Mr. Tolson’s debate team, James Farmer Jr. Son of James Farmer Sr. (Forest Whitaker); he then became to be a key figure in civil rights movement. The film plays down growing up on a stratified society of two, whites and blacks. Denzel Washington in his second venture as one another community oriented in pre Second World War – II, focuses on educational privileged class of it but still not got to see the light at the end of the tunnel far away from it. That is more humiliating wherein being educated, enlightened and being aware of this division. It drives them and sees how to tackle a whole set of people who not only have been grown to hate but also grown and learn to be hated as well. They begin to accept this impartial brutality and fight with their accord of problems within the family.

Washington takes his time to set forth the striking point of the story at perfect opportunity. The film is not in inspiring the kids to go that extra mile. The kids in the film already know their talent, difficulties and mainly the confidence in them. Washington marks those in fluctuations when the situation arises and we realize that people have to do the right thing and act on their instincts, the right one. Everybody knows the drill in a movie like this. It is a tough job but the hard coach and the students desperate to prove themselves eventually succeed or lose and succeed morally. The path towards that is essential in proving the points and do not overdose the sentimentality or boost up the racial problem in an urge to leverage the script. It is based on a true story but it has the additional dramatic effects required to give the feel and sense of the situation placed upon those students and also the people surrounding them.

Washington does not need to stretch himself to play the character of Mr. Tulson. It feels coded in him and even in his similar mannerisms in many other movies, he is able to differentiate and bring in the character of his own. Forest Whitaker as a father who measures the words to be spoken to his son and earn the respect, but feels down in front of him to be degraded in unfortunate circumstances. With his small time over the screen, we see him as an ever thinking eloquent literary man, a respectful husband and a father learning to learn his son. Among these two gargantuan figures are the three main characters who are the debaters playing down when needed and loud when the adrenaline needs to be pumped. But it all goes to the brainy and liberated portrayal of Farmer Jr. by Denzel Whitaker to win amongst all.

Knowing how Washington is going to work up on us, it becomes predictable but never uninteresting. In knowing the way it is going to make through, the film is an exploration of the characteristics of being in lime light and responding to the responsibilities. It authors the principles which lay as the foundation for the civil rights movement to conduct in values of non-violence and resistance of no blood shed. “Remember the Titans”, “Akeelah and the Bee” and some more have had the same theme and the characters rising up for them in exploring it have all succeeded well enough. It is amazing to see all of these manage to work so well and every time with the same content glorifies into something of its very own and makes the mark on the audience. “The Great Debaters” joins that list.