The Great Debaters - Time Out Chicago

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TV & DVD
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- Critic's Rating
Time Out Chicago / Issue 167 : May 8–14, 2008

DVD review

The Great Debaters

Dir. Denzel Washington. 2007. N/R. 123mins. The Weinstein Company. Available Tue 13 ($29.95). Washington, Forest Whitaker, Kimberly Elise, Nate Parker.

The rules of formal debate are clear; the rules of The Great Debaters are also fixed. If you must clap, clap extremely slowly, with tears rimming your eyes. Have your inspirational coach (Washington, also behind the camera) ladle out tough love, while also teaching his eager students to overcome 1930s Texas racism with their beautiful minds. Have this teacher observe their final victory from a balcony, quaking with pride. Have it be at Harvard. The story of Wiley College’s national triumph under the real Melvin B. Tolson fits the Oprah mold snugly; her company is a producer. And while it would be unseemly to fully reject a movie this well meaning, you wish it had more faith in the intellect of its viewers. The DVD contains Tolson’s poetry.

— Joshua Rothkopf
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