Movie Review: The Great Debaters

Superb acting, witty dialogue, meaningful historical events and powerful moral messages easily earn Denzel Washington's directorial debut The Great Debater's a spot amongst the year's best. While the classic underdog formula usually stands strong with audiences and critics alike, the plot becomes rather predictable at times, although combined with the familiar formula is plenty of subplots and a stirring theme of racism and radicals and a hope for equality in 1930's Texas.

Melvin Tolson (Denzel Washington) is a professor at Wiley College in Texas in 1935. As he attempts to unify the local sharecroppers with his strong public speaking abilities and radical political views, he also coaches the debate team at the college, hand-picked by him each year. The team consists of Samantha Booke (Jurnee Smollett), the first woman ever to make the team, Henry Lowe (Nate Parker), a rebellious and outspoken student who spends most of his time on the isolated lake or at local parties, and James Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker), a 14 year-old student who worries about the inequality he constantly witnesses. The Wiley team sets out to become the first colored debate team to debate against white schools. Going undefeated during their first nine debates, the team is invited by Harvard to contest their prestigious group. But racism, disquietude amongst the group, and discrepancy against Tolson and his civics hinder their every step toward making history and advancing equality.