Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

SoTrumpBelieve Must See Movie...

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

vincentlynch-moonoi My general rule is not to review films that already have at least 100 reviews here on IMDB. On rare occasions I make an exception.We've certainly all seen bad movies. And good movies. And even great movies. And once in a while a movie comes along that's truly inspirational. This movie is inspirational. And, with a few adjustments to history, it's true. It's the story of a debating team from a "Negro" college in Texas which goes on to national acclaim. The film was produced by Ophra Winfrey (among others), and directed by Denzel Washington. I give Denzel great credit for what he brought together here.Denzel Washington not only directed the film, but starred in it...sort of. I actually would call it more of an ensemble cast. But Washington is excellent here as the professor who leads the debating team. as Melvin B. Tolson, who became a noted poet and author (among other things). I've never been impressed with Forest Whitaker (who plays the father of James Farmer, Jr. here), but this time I thought his performance was quite good. Denzel Whitaker, a young actor and rapper plays a thoughtful role here as James Farmer, Jr., the man who later founded the Congress Of Racial Equality, and is one of the debaters here. I thought he did well here, but I'll need to see him in some other things before I can decide whether he is a steady actor (he is in "Black Panther", which happens to be in theaters as I write this). When I first saw Nate Parker starring in "Birth Of A Nation", I was not impressed. Here, as one of the debaters, I was impressed. Jurnee Smollett (brother of Jussie) plays the female debater here. I think it's a decent performance, but perhaps the accent was slathered on a bit heavy. I've seen her in other things (such as "Underground"), and she is quite a good actress.I won't relate the whole story here, but I will point out a couple of things. First, the segment where the debaters and their coach run into a lynching is quite jarring, but very well done. I don't why Denzel Washington, as director, changed the climactic debate from the University Of California to Harvard...the deviation from actual history made no sense to me. I do fault the film for not explaining how Denzel's character does show up at Harvard, when he was legally prevented from leaving Texas. It could have been explained in about 30 seconds.But that's nitpicking. This is a truly fine film.

sbusch-35048 This is a movie that checks all the boxes for a based on a true underdog story, but it does it with superb acting, good cinematography and pacing, and powerful scenes. From what I've heard, it takes many liberties with the actual story, but the final product is still gratifying. My only gripe is the cliche story moments (especially in the beginning), but after a few scenes, the story picks up, and leads to a surprisingly emotional climax. I definitely recommend, especially for the acting.

dushyant chaturvedi Denzel Washington is Mr. Tolson, the head of the debate team of a Blacks only Willey college. He starts building a team of students to participate at the inter college level. He is also secretly inspiring the cotton growing farmers to fight for their rights against the land owners. Forest Whitaker is the theology professor and the father of one of the students who gets selected for the debating team. How the debating team is selected, how they go on an unbeaten spree and how they perform against Harvard's debating team forms the core of the movie. There are 4 members on the team whose characters are well drawn. There is Ms. Booke who has joined the college with the express view of getting on this team. There is Whitaker's son who is the youngest member of the team. Then there is a restless soul called Lowe whose character goes through a huge transformation during the duration of the flick. The dialogues are wonderfully written and end up stirring your soul more often than not. The best part about Washington's direction is that he does not bring the focus on him but keeps it on the young debaters. There is a heart wrenching scene showing lynching of the blacks. Just wish that Whitaker would have got a few more scenes. The one scene between Washington and Whitaker is one of the best scenes of the movie. This is an inspiring movie and I loved it. 3.5 out of 5.

Lloyd Bayer Two of society's evils publicly condemned by Oprah Winfrey are violence against women and racial oppression. Unsurprisingly, Harpo Productions' (Oprah spelt backwards) latest offering is a period drama that not only speaks about racial violence, but the courage of real people and what they did to overcome it.Set in 1935 Texas, a time before public swimming pools and colored swimming pools, a time when it was not derogatory to call African-Americans "Negros", Wiley College professor Melvin Tolson (Denzel Washington) assembles a team of young black Americans in preparation for the annual inter-college debate competition. Comprising of James Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker), Henry Lowe (Nate Parker) and Samantha Booke (Jurnee Smollett), the team quickly gains momentum with an undefeated winning streak. Populated by the traditionally black community of rural Texas, Wiley College enters the championship league, but must now face their greatest advisory – an all-white team from the acclaimed Harvard University. But even before they have a fair chance, Tolson faces allegations of stirring political unrest as a black communist, leaving the team to go on without their coach.The outcome of the final debate, though a tear-jerker, is just one amongst various highpoints in this remarkable film. At the very core is the bleeding cry for truth and justice – quintessentially manifested by outstanding portrayals from Farmer Jr, Parker and Smollett, not forgetting Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker (as James Farmer Sr.) in fiery supporting roles. Adapted from Tony Scherman 's journal on American Legacy, Robert Eisele's screenplay is a driving force with just the right pace and depth that induces a strong yearning to learn about an untold but dark story before America's so called 'Golden Years'. Borrowing from actual events, Eisele's premise is a juxtaposition between Gandhi's Satyagraha and Martin Luther King's Civil Rights movement, making this not just a true story, but the biopic of a man that would become a modern American poet - Melvin Beaunorus Tolson.At a time when it is politically incorrect to call an ethnic race by the color of skin or traditional sustenance, "The Great Debaters" is a film with a story that boldly refuses to remain hidden within the forgotten pages of history. In comparison, this film could have been executed with the darker tone of "Mississippi Burning" or perhaps even a lighter shade similar to "The Help". In essence, it remains an intellectual masterpiece with a purpose – a stark reminder that racism still exists. As does slavery.By his inherent nature of on-screen charisma, spit-fire dialogue and tenacious characterization, Denzel Washington is a cinematic marvel and nothing short of a silver screen incendiary. But if these are his traits as a skilled actor, then this film is all the more inspiring, encouraging and uplifting because "The Great Debaters" also benefits from having Denzel Washington as the director. Oh yes, Oprah Winfrey would be proud!