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TopTenREVIEWS presents the movie reviews of Great Debaters, The (2007)

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Great Debaters, The (2007)

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Ratings and rankings are based on number of movie, review scores, awards & other criteria.
Great Debaters, The (2007) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars Great Debaters, The (2007) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars
Overall Rating:2.9799
Avg Critic Score:2.9531

Great Debaters, The (2007) Rank 3 Reviews

Expert Review Summary
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Excellent
4
26.57%
(38)
Very Good
3
53.15%
(76)
Good
2
19.58%
(28)
Fair
1
0.70%
(1)
Poor
0
0.00%
(0)

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Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Orlando Weekly (Steven G. Kellman) Orlando Weekly (Steven G. Kellman)
So erudite and accomplished is professor James Farmer (Forest Whitaker) that one awestruck student declares, “He must be the smartest man in Texas.” Though he loves and reveres his father, James Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker, no relation to either Fores ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Orlando Weekly (Steven G. Kellman)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for The Arizona Republic The Arizona Republic
In 1935, the debate team at Wiley College, a tiny all-Black school in Marshall, Texas, went on an unbelievable tear, defeating schools both White and Black and culminating in a nationally broadcast debate against the University of Southern California. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at The Arizona Republic
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Associated Press (Christy Lemire) Associated Press (Christy Lemire)
As in Antwone Fisher , which helped make a star of Derek Luke, Washington draws effortless performances from his young actors, which go a long way in making The Great Debaters more enjoyable than you might expect. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Associated Press (Christy Lemire)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf) Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
One can fault the film for at times being too schmaltzy, but its strong emotional and intellectual center triumphs, and the drama emerges as a reminder of the obstacles that had to be overcome by those with sufficient nerve, stamina and sheer bravery to ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore) Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
[It's] is history at its most entertaining, and a vivid reminder that we're all living in a country built and then rebuilt by people who turned their passion into logical, rational arguments that moved us, step by step, down the road to justice. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)

Great Debaters, The (2007) Critic Reviews continued...

Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Maxim (Pete Hammond) Maxim (Pete Hammond)
An absolute triumph for Denzel Washington. Here is a movie that can make a difference. What more can you ask from a film? ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Maxim (Pete Hammond)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for eFilmCritic.com (Brian Orndorf) eFilmCritic.com (Brian Orndorf)
There’s so much compassion in Denzel Washington’s “The Great Debaters,” it makes it easy to forgive the screenplay’s pandering habits and sentimental full court press. The bottom line is, this is a stirring portrait of African-American intellige ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Brian Orndorf)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for ReelzChannel (Heather Huntington) ReelzChannel (Heather Huntington)
On paper, The Great Debaters sounds like an amalgam of familiar film tropes – debate team competitions, an inspiring teacher, and pre-1960s southern bigotry. And indeed, the movie has some formulaic components to it. But that doesn’t change the fact t ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at ReelzChannel (Heather Huntington)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for cinemaobsession.com (Jeff Otto) cinemaobsession.com (Jeff Otto)
Well done, compelling, and enjoyable. The very combination of these elements -- as well as a well-crafted script -- elevates the movie. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at cinemaobsession.com (Jeff Otto)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for The Deadbolt (Brian Tallerico) The Deadbolt (Brian Tallerico)
The Great Debaters plays it way too safe, when life for the real people who inspired it was anything but. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at The Deadbolt (Brian Tallerico)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Bucket Reviews (Danny Baldwin) Bucket Reviews (Danny Baldwin)
The Great Debaters tells the (of course) true story of the 1935 Wiley College Debate Team, which consisted of four black students who dared to thrive academically in a time of extreme racial tension in America. The team was headed by Mel Tolson (Denzel ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Bucket Reviews (Danny Baldwin)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow) Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
Philippe Rousselot did the cinematography, which is as alive to texture as Washington's ensemble-work is to mood. If the setbacks and victories click like clockwork, at least the clockwork here is fine-tooled and handmade. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum) Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)
Conceived like a sports movie, this delivers passion, nuance, and historical insight along with unnecessary hokum. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Ebert & Roeper (Richard Roeper) Ebert & Roeper (Richard Roeper)
It’s important, it’s deeply inspiring, it’s something from our not-so-distant past we must not forget, and it should be must-see viewing for high school and college students of all backgrounds. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Ebert & Roeper (Richard Roeper)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for KYW Newsradio (Bill Wine) KYW Newsradio (Bill Wine)
The Great Debaters is Denzel Washington's second directorial effort. And, like his first, 2002's Antwone Fisher, it's an earnest, emotionally powerful, adroitly-acted drama. In this fictionalized account of a true story, Washington plays Melvin Tolson, ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at KYW Newsradio (Bill Wine)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for New York Daily News (Jack Mathews) New York Daily News (Jack Mathews)
It's an inspirational film that wears its heart on its sleeve. But it's got a good, strong heart and, despite some awkward moments in the later going, it's an elegantly directed second effort from Washington. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at New York Daily News (Jack Mathews)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Christianity Today (Camerin Courtney) Christianity Today (Camerin Courtney)
The plot holes and formulaic feel are overcome by the superb acting. As is true in the world of debate, carefully chosen and delivered words win the day. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Christianity Today (Camerin Courtney)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen) Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)
...enough to make you hope that one of these days Washington will forgo such conventional genre trappings and unleash his own Do the Right Thing . ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey) ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)
For all of its hermetic dramatic license, "The Great Debators" hits its emotional marks with help from Forest Whitaker and a talented ensemble cast that includes Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett, and newcomer Denzel Whitaker. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Washington Post (Stephen Hunter) Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
A rouser, a stunner, almost a jubilee of emotion and suspense by the old standards of Hollywood melodrama, circa the time the actual events themselves took place. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman) Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
Washington and the young cast carry everything off with unwavering conviction. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal) Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
Subtlety isn't exactly the strength of screenwriter Robert Eisele, whose biggest previous credit is the 2004 ESPN movie 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for WFAA-TV (Gary Cogill) WFAA-TV (Gary Cogill)
The Great Debaters is a holiday film of substance and quality. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at WFAA-TV (Gary Cogill)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for San Diego Metropolitan (Jean Lowerison) San Diego Metropolitan (Jean Lowerison)
In 1935, a black English teacher and poet named Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington) coached the debate team of a small black college in Marshall, Texas, so successfully that the Wiley College team was recognized nationally. “The Great Debaters” is ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at San Diego Metropolitan (Jean Lowerison)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for TIME Magazine (Richard Schickel) TIME Magazine (Richard Schickel)
The film may be manipulative in its construction, and cliché-ridden in some of the incidents it recounts, but it has a good, large heart." ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at TIME Magazine (Richard Schickel)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Washington Times (Jenny Mayo) Washington Times (Jenny Mayo)
Mr. Washington anchors the film... ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Washington Times (Jenny Mayo)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel) Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)
In a season where so many of the films out there are dark, it's a pleasure to find a grown up movie that celebrates perseverance and hope. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss) Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)
A sort of 'Glory Road' or 'Pride' rewrite that celebrates young people who are better at stringing words than shooting hoops or swimming laps. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for KPBS.org (Beth Accomando) KPBS.org (Beth Accomando)
Seeing Tolson expose his young students to the poets of the Harlem Renaissance and instilling in them a sense of pride and rebellion is inspiring... Tolson is a fascinating character who could command an entire movie himself. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at KPBS.org (Beth Accomando)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Preview Family Movie Review Preview Family Movie Review
In the mid-1930s, Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, had already come a long way on faith. The historically black school, founded by Northern Methodists after the Civil War, was graduating hundreds of students. The Southern Association of Colleges and ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Preview Family Movie Review
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Boston Globe Boston Globe
"The Great Debaters" is like "Coach Carter," "Pride," "Akeelah and the Bee," and any other overlooked "young, gifted, and black" competition film. The difference is you'll probably see this one. Oprah Winfrey produced it. Denzel Washington directed it. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Boston Globe
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson) Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)
Inspiring if overly familiar story that owes its allegiance not so much to history (it alters many facts) as to Dead Poets Society, Hoosiers and countless other "carpe diem" flicks. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Filmjerk.com (Brian Orndorf) Filmjerk.com (Brian Orndorf)
There's so much compassion in Denzel Washington's "The Great Debaters," it makes it easy to forgive the screenplay's pandering habits and sentimental full court press. The bottom line is, this is a stirring portrait of African-American intelligence and ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Filmjerk.com (Brian Orndorf)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Kansas City Star (--) Kansas City Star (--)
Washington’s crisp direction and the sharp performances help to leaven the inspirational emphasis of Robert Eisele’s screenplay while steadily building tension. By the time it’s over even cynics will be fighting the impulse to stand up and cheer. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Kansas City Star (--)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert) Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)
Washington’s charisma is on full display, and he makes Tompkins a figure of remarkable courage. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Seattle Post-Intelligencer (William Arnold) Seattle Post-Intelligencer (William Arnold)
As the kids struggle with their coach's tough love, their own hormones (at times, the team descends into a dysfunctional love triangle) and Jim Crow racism at its ugliest, it's easy to root for them. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Seattle Post-Intelligencer (William Arnold)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for San Francisco Chronicle (Walter V. Addiego) San Francisco Chronicle (Walter V. Addiego)
The goal here is to educate and to inspire, and that's what The Great Debaters does. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Walter V. Addiego)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means) Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
These students, the movie tells us, went on to become major figures in the civil-rights movement - and seeing how they got there is an illuminating lesson. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese) Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)
Were the film not so insistent on conventional payoffs, The Great Debaters could have been much more satisfying. As it is, it's a pleasant holiday film with a positive message. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth) Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)
Turns out Denzel Washington makes magic on both sides of the camera. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Screen International Screen International
A strong and similarly emotionally resonant follow-up to his 2002 debut behind the camera, Antwone Fisher, Denzel Washington's second directorial effort is a familiarly structured but extremely effective drama. Lacking pretense and guile, The Great ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Screen International
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek) One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
One could hardly argue against the proposition that Denzel Washington’s second directorial effort is formulaic and manipulative. And it’s undeniable that though based on actual events, “The Great Debaters” takes substantial liberties with the hist ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Chicago Tribune (Michael Phillips) Chicago Tribune (Michael Phillips)
Director Denzel Washington’s “The Great Debaters” is pure Hollywood, not without its share of storytelling cliches and golden-toned inspirational teaching moments, but you know what? The results really are inspirational. It is an underdog story prod ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Chicago Tribune (Michael Phillips)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Newsweek (David Ansen) Newsweek (David Ansen)
Stirring, likable and unashamedly formulaic, "The Great Debaters" is a fictionalized account of a true story. In the early 1930s, in the Jim Crow South, a small, all-black school in Marshall, Texas, called Wiley College produced a debate team of such ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Newsweek (David Ansen)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Hollywood Reporter (--) Hollywood Reporter (--)
Like "Antwone Fisher," Denzel Washington's first directorial effort, "The Great Debaters" is an earnest drama about the search for self-esteem and sense of responsibility among young black people that successfully relies on its fine actors, including ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Hollywood Reporter (--)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for New York Observer (Andrew Sarris) New York Observer (Andrew Sarris)
Denzel Washington’s The Great Debaters, from a screenplay by Robert Eisele, based on a story by Mr. Eisele and Jeffrey Porro, enlivens and enlightens this chaotically overcrowded movie season with an intelligently inspirational burst of hope in social ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at New York Observer (Andrew Sarris)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Film Blather (Eugene Novikov) Film Blather (Eugene Novikov)
It goes down easy, has some great scenes, and knows how to tug on the heartstrings. But unlike its characters, it settles for less. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Film Blather (Eugene Novikov)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
In the wrong hands, "The Great Debaters" could be a cliché - an inspirational, fact-based tale of underdogs, long odds and changed lives. It is the arc of every sports movie ever made, including "Remember the Titans," with Denzel Washington. But ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Salon.com (Andrew O'Hehir) Salon.com (Andrew O'Hehir)
Denzel Washington gives an eloquent performance in this hackneyed -- yet terrifying -- story of a black college debate team in the Jim Crow South. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Salon.com (Andrew O'Hehir)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan) Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
Opponents found it easy to underestimate the 1930s debate team of Wiley College, a small, all-black institution in a remote corner of Texas, but they did so at their peril. The same will likely hold true for those who underestimate the new film on the ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss) Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
It makes learning look exciting and sexy and ... really hard. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Hollywood.com (Robert Sims) Hollywood.com (Robert Sims)
Washington knows what it means to be an underdog during a time of turbulent race relations. In Remember the Titans, his football coach won it all after he ignored warnings about the perils of playing black and white players on the same team. The Great ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Hollywood.com (Robert Sims)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen) Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
A predictable but sturdy genre offering. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe) Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)
If you want to have your spirits raised this holiday season check out the latest feel good product from Harpo (Oprah) productions, directed by Denzel Washington. It is a fictionalized take on the true story of Wiley College, the small, all black ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen) Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
Nothing will likely surprise you about The Great Debaters, which features a sports movie plot as applied to the trials of a college debating team. The main concept point here is that it's an all-black team from Wiley College that rises to prominence when ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas) ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
Ultimately, the film does work as an inspirational tale even if it requires way too much effort and patience on the viewer's part before it gets there. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Screen It! (Jim Judy) Screen It! (Jim Judy)
A highly engaging, entertaining, occasionally thought-provoking, and even sometimes emotionally moving and touching offering that proves following a recipe isn't a bad thing, especially if it's handled just right ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Screen It! (Jim Judy)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Film Journal International (Doris Toumarkine) Film Journal International (Doris Toumarkine)
The Great Debaters is the second directorial effort after Antwone Fisher from two-time Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington, and further pedigree comes from Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films, As expected, the film is a class effort but, like Lionsgate’s ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Film Journal International (Doris Toumarkine)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for St. Louis Post-Dispatch St. Louis Post-Dispatch
In the pantheon of racial pioneers, the first African-American debaters to challenge the national champions fit somewhere between Jackie Robinson and the ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Village Voice (Nick Pinkerton) Village Voice (Nick Pinkerton)
Just register the laziness of that title. All right. The Inspiring True Story behind Great Debaters is the 1930's championship streak of East Texas's all-black Wiley College debate team, coached by poet and teacher Melvin B. Tolson. This bit of ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Village Voice (Nick Pinkerton)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Plugged In Plugged In
He marks it in chalk—a white box drawn on a wood floor. For Tolson, it's more than a box: It's a battleground. And one by one, he invites would-be debaters to step inside and fight—not with guns or knives, but with diction, logic and passion. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Plugged In
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for ReelTalk (Jeffrey Chen) ReelTalk (Jeffrey Chen)
Nothing will likely surprise you about The Great Debaters, which features a sports movie plot as applied to the trials of a college debating team. The main concept point here is that it's an all-black team from Wiley College that rises to prominence when ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at ReelTalk (Jeffrey Chen)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy) EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
The story needed to be told, but like most inspirational sagas, whether based on fact or fiction, Denzel Washington's sophomore effort as helmer doesn't escape the genre's main problems of formulaic narrative and predictably uplifting outcome. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for kids-in-mind kids-in-mind
Drama based on the true story, chronicling how Texas' Wiley College debate team broke the racial barrier in college debating in the 1930s. Denzel Washington directs and stars as the debate team coach, who manages to turn students from the small African ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at kids-in-mind
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for ShowBIZ Data ShowBIZ Data
The Great Debaters, directed by Denzel Washington is receiving mostly respectful reviews. Stephen Holden in the New York Times observes that it "may not aspire to be more than inspirational pop entertainment in the Oprah Winfrey mode (Ms. Winfrey is one ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at ShowBIZ Data
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for New York Magazine (Bilge Ebiri) New York Magazine (Bilge Ebiri)
At first glance, a Hollywood film about the world of debate might seem gutsy, but director Denzel Washington’s awards bait about the all-black Wiley College team, which bested several white schools in the thirties, has almost nothing to do with reasoned ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at New York Magazine (Bilge Ebiri)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Onion AV Club (Keith Phipps) Onion AV Club (Keith Phipps)
For a movie about a debate team -- one with the word 'debaters' in the title, no less -- Denzel Washington's second effort as a director doesn't have that much interest in what a debate looks and sounds like. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Onion AV Club (Keith Phipps)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for New York Post (Lou Lumenick) New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
DENZEL Washington is usually better when he plays bad characters - as in "American Gang ster" - than when he dons a halo, as in "The Great Debaters," an achingly sincere inspirational film Washington ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Reel.com Reel.com
Told with the against-all-odds mentality reserved for most underdog tales, Denzel Washington's The Great Debaters—inspired by a true story—recounts how a plucky debate team from all-black Wiley College systematically defeated anyone who dared oppose t ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Reel.com
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs) PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
The Great Debaters is history by way of Oprah: righteously angry and uplifting, willing to pull a punch when it makes the broader point. Based on the true story of the 1935 Wiley College debate team, the film follows its rise from modest beginnings in ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for The Onion A.V. Club The Onion A.V. Club
Underdog sports movies in which kids achieve excellence while overcoming racist expectations make pretty easy sells: Come for the sports action and stay for the uplift. The Great Debaters follows a similar formula to Remember The Titans and Pride, but ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at The Onion A.V. Club
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Fresno Bee (Donald Munro) Fresno Bee (Donald Munro)
It's yet one more of those average biographically based films that comes across as glossy, feel-good moviemaking rather than capturing the texture and fabric of a slice of history. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Fresno Bee (Donald Munro)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for USA Today (Claudia Puig) USA Today (Claudia Puig)
Based on a true story of poet and professor Melvin Tolson (Denzel Washington), who in 1935 led the debate team from a small black college in Texas to a win against top-ranked Harvard, the film is bolstered by terrific performances and an inspiring ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at USA Today (Claudia Puig)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for cinemattraction (Robert Levin) cinemattraction (Robert Levin)
Put simply, one’s time at the movies could be spent in a far worse manner than watching smart characters articulate big ideas and change their lives in the process. ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at cinemattraction (Robert Levin)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Variety (--) Variety (--)
Despite the heavily fictionalized nature of Robert Eisele's script -- numerous characters are composites and no independent documentary evidence has been found that Wiley ever faced off against Harvard in 1935 -- "The Great Debaters" is first and ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Variety (--)
Great Debaters, The (2007) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Chicago Tribune (Matt Pais) Chicago Tribune (Matt Pais)
Fearless Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington, full of conviction) motivates the all-black debate team at Wiley College to rise above the racial strife in 1935 Texas, defend their rights and strive to take down their competitors—including all-white teams ...read the complete Great Debaters movie review at Chicago Tribune (Matt Pais)
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