The Great Debaters, A Great Triumph
posted in Cultural, Thoughts | | | View blog reactions | Print This PostFirst of all, Resolve: This is an excellent film – go see it.
Now I will support my above thesis with an affirmative argument.
If you see the film you’ll understand why I’m putting things into these terms [resolve/affirmative]. It’s the formal debate format displayed in the movie.
But don’t get it twisted; you are not in a movie theatre watching 2 hours of intellectual jacking-off. Great Debaters is not a series of debates. Certainly there are debates in the movie. The movie centers around a debate team; and that’s the thing, a debate team is who the stories in the movie center around, but debating is not the story.
The use of the debate team in this film is akin to how sports teams are often used in movies – as a microcosm of society or a backdrop to tell a larger story of team work, self-belief, overcoming and triumph.
I think naming the movie The Great Debaters does it a bit of a disservice; as most people can’t find a reason why’d they want to go see a movie about debate, and neither the title nor the previews give you much of any hint of the other great story lines of the film. I had a bit of an interest in seeing the movie when I first heard of it, but didn’t become excited about seeing it until I read up on it for this preview post. I could see some meet in there and thought it would be pretty good.
To my surprise though, the Golden Globe Nominee for best picture ended up being even better than I thought it might be.
The Great Debaters is an engaging film that entertains as well as inspires; holding your interest throughout – there’s never a dull moment. That latter point is particularly important to me; there’s nothing I hate worst than a movie that drags. There are even movies that have the potential of being really good, that are drug down by long portions of dull dreary in action – over exaggerated long dramatic pauses that aren’t dramatic.
None of that here - the dialogue is excellent, often with passionate and or witty exchanges between the characters, each scene builds to the next and forwards the multiple story lines in the movie.
So, what’s beyond the debates in this film that I keep referencing? The Great Debaters explores many social issues that provide obstacles which require personal triumph: from Jim Crow racism, to female empowerment, to class warfare. The latter actually provided a bit of action to the movie, as the authorities use violence to attempt to stop black and white farmers from forming into a union.
The passionate flirtation between debaters Henry and Samantha provide another line of entertainment, along with the fantasy crush of 14 year old college wiz kid, James, on the unattainable older Samantha.
Speaking of Samantha Booke, this character was played Jurnee Smollette; best known as Eve in the critically acclaimed Eve’s Bayou. In her first significant film appearance as an adult, Jurnee turns in a magnetic and inspired performance as the young lawyer to be.
Just as how she as a precocious 10 year old little girl stole the show while on the screen with co-stars the like of Megan Good, Samuel L. Jackson and Diahann Carroll; she again charms away much of the light even from academy award best actors Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker; with her undeniable charisma and authentic flair.
Her stunningly sculpted face with deep dimpled smile; and feisty, sultry attitude probably doesn’t hurt from a male perspective either; but I almost feel dirty noticing, like I’m jonesing on my little cousin who grew up or something. Anway, back to the acting…
The acting across the board was right on point. Denzel Washington gave us a little something different to where too much of his normal self didin’t project through the character for the first time in awhile. I also think he intentionally played his character down to allow for a better ensemble performance rather than a tour de force of one actor. If so, it worked.
Forest Whitaker was well, Forest Whitaker again. In a relatively small role he was stunningly authentic as the high-achieving, very astute professor and preacher. He gave great balance to his characters somewhat frosty detached exterior, that seems to be a tool to manage his meticulous passion for education and his family.
Nate Parker and Denzel Whitaker (no relation to Washington or Forest; though his parents did name him after Washington as fans) did excellent jobs in their pivotal rolls as well. Parker, who previously appeared in Pride with Terrence Howard, is someone who I think you’ll see a lot of in the future; including leading the pack as the next generation of leading man in Black film. Whitaker, who previously worked with Denzel Washington as Macy Gray’s character’s nephew in Training Day, looks to make a great character actor.
Kimberly Elise surprisingly makes a small apparence in the film, as I did not know from any ads or critiques that she was in it. She plays Forest Whitakers wife and does a fine job as usual. She previously played Denzel Washington’s wife in John Q.
The Great Debaters is a triumph. Go see it.
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