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The Great Debaters

PG-13 Released Dec 25, 2007 2h 7m Drama List
80% Tomatometer 134 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Poet and professor Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington) teaches at the predominately black Wiley College in 1935 Texas. He decides to start a debate team, something nearly unheard of at a black college. While at first he butts heads with the influential father (Forest Whitaker) of one of his best debators, eventually he is able to form a team of strong-minded, intelligent young students, and they become the first black debate team to challenge Harvard's prestigious debate champions.
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Critics Consensus

A wonderful cast and top-notch script elevate The Great Debaters beyond a familiar formula for a touching, uplifting drama.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Movie Mom Rated: B+ Feb 18, 2012 Full Review Joshua Rothkopf Time Out Rated: 2/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Amy Nicholson I.E. Weekly Despite its transparent manipulations, the film is more decent than it deserves to be, particularly when the kids step up to the podium and get passionate Rated: C Jan 29, 2008 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand It’s an inspirational tale of triumph over adversity that plays the debate competition like an underdog sports movie, complete with the cheering crowds celebrating each win, and the plotting of their road to victory is too neatly designed. Apr 6, 2024 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review It follows a traditional sports movie narrative, showing us the team’s competitive and inner struggles, offering some profound experiences with which these debaters use to reinforce their arguments. Rated: 3/4 Sep 6, 2023 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Though the classic underdog formula provides a somewhat predictable patterning, it's nevertheless a powerful story. Rated: 8/10 Nov 24, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Vander A Still trying to figure out why I've never heard of this movie from 2007. It is, in a word, particularly Excellent. Don't know how many movies Denzel Washington has directed but here he proves he is very, very good at it. And he is his usual flawless self as the star. These are stories that need to be told and yet they are still scarce. Must see historic story. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/21/24 Full Review Jerod S Denzel as star and director of the Wiley College debate team is a stone cold winner. Navigating racial tensions in the 30s, the Texas team goes on to be national champs. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/23/24 Full Review Ashley N Gem of a movie that I somehow missed when it came out. Excellent topics dealt with, excellent dialogue and acting. And uplifting, to boot! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/13/24 Full Review SR C Based on a true story, the debates are masterful. Set in the mid-1930's you overlook the parallels in what our country was struggling with then and what it is still struggling with today. Will we ever get it right? And more importantly am I part of the problem or part of the solution? Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/26/24 Full Review Kevin W A Must See. The cast is excellent! It is one of the best movies I've seen in recent years! 5 Stars & waiting for you 👏👏👏👏👏 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/17/24 Full Review V S An amazing movie with witty dialogue, great acting, and an inspiring story. I'm so glad someone decided to make a film based on Melvin B. Tolson's Wiley College debating team. More stories like this need to be told. A must-watch film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/11/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

The Great Debaters

The Great Debaters: Official Clip - The Hot Spot The Great Debaters: Official Clip - The Hot Spot 2:57 The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Jesus Was a Radical The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Jesus Was a Radical 2:12 The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Who's the Judge? The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Who's the Judge? 1:56 The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Empty Debate Hall The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Empty Debate Hall 1:38 The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Quinn Debate The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Quinn Debate 3:15 The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Chosen for the Team The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Chosen for the Team 1:30 The Great Debaters: Official Clip - The Time for Justice The Great Debaters: Official Clip - The Time for Justice 2:58 The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Tell Us About Your Father The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Tell Us About Your Father 2:07 The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Revolution The Great Debaters: Official Clip - Revolution 2:11 View more videos
21 36% 66% 21 Resurrecting the Champ 61% 60% Resurrecting the Champ Coach Carter 64% 85% Coach Carter TRAILER for Coach Carter Me and Orson Welles 86% 61% Me and Orson Welles The Visitor 90% 84% The Visitor Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Poet and professor Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington) teaches at the predominately black Wiley College in 1935 Texas. He decides to start a debate team, something nearly unheard of at a black college. While at first he butts heads with the influential father (Forest Whitaker) of one of his best debators, eventually he is able to form a team of strong-minded, intelligent young students, and they become the first black debate team to challenge Harvard's prestigious debate champions.
Director
Denzel Washington
Producer
Todd Black, Kate Forte, Oprah Winfrey, Joe Roth
Screenwriter
Robert Eisele
Distributor
Weinstein Co.
Production Co
Harpo Films
Rating
PG-13 (Disturbing Images|Brief Sexuality|Language|Strong Thematic Material|Violence)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 25, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 14, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$30.2M
Runtime
2h 7m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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