Moe: Hi, Joe. Moe here. It’s your turn to make a movie recommendation. We’re dying to get out of the house, so what can you suggest?
Joe: Well, if you’re in the mood for a good drama, how about The Great Debaters? I think it’s well worth it.
Moe: Hmm. I think I’ve heard something about it. Isn’t it that one that stars Denzel Washington as a debate teacher?
Joe: That’s it. Denzel is one of the stars, and he’s also the director. Does a good job at both things. Forest Whitaker is the other star, and he’s very good. He plays James Farmer Senior, who’s a preacher.
Moe: OK, sounds interesting. Convince me. What’s it about?
Joe: Well, it takes place in the mid thirties, in the Depression. Denzel plays Melvin Tolson, a debate teacher at Wiley College in Texas. He’s pretty radical in a lot of ways. He believes that the only way for black people to improve their circumstances is to get a good education and develop and use their minds. Debate is his passion. He says, “Debate is blood sport. It is combat.”
Moe: So what’s the plot?
Joe: Tolson works with a whole bunch of black students to train them to compete in national debates against white students. Forty kids start out, and four are selected to be the team -- One of them is James Farmer Junior – you know, the civil rights activist in the 50s and 60s?
Moe: You mean this is real? It’s historical?
Joe: Yep. There’s a real Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. It’s a Methodist college. And they actually did beat a lot of white debating teams.
Moe: Tell me more.
Joe: Well, Tolson is really inspirational. You’ve got to remember that the story takes place at a time when black people were considered by many to be inferior. Tolson believes that the role of the teacher is to give them back their minds. He stresses total academic preparation, knowing what you’re debating, and self-confidence. In fact, one of his most inspirational statements comes when he tells his team, “God is your judge as a debater. He decides who wins and loses, not your opponent.” So it has a solid Christian base.
Moe: Sounds like kind of a David and Goliath story.
Joe: Basically it is. Here’s this debate team from a black college in Texas that no one takes seriously, and they win.
Moe: Can we take the whole family to it?
Joe: Well, there’s a scene that shows the lynching of a black man, and it’s pretty intense, so I don’t think I’d recommend it for people younger than 15 or 16. There are some unnecessary sex scenes, too; I don’t think they belong in the movie at all. The other thing is that even though it’s historical, it’s not totally factual. The movie shows the Wiley College team beating the Harvard debate team. Actually, it was the USC team they beat, but I guess Harvard sounds a lot more impressive.
Moe: What’s it rated?
Joe: PG-13. Myself, I’d give it three stars. It should appeal to all kinds of people. One of the best lines comes from Samantha, the young black woman on the team. She says, “Majorities do not decide what is right or what is wrong. Your conscience does.”
Moe: OK, you’ve won me over. We’ll go see it.
Film Rating: PG-13
My Rating: 3 stars
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