The Great Debaters

Drawing inspiration from the true story of a temperamental debate coach who molded the students of a small East Texas college into a formidable team that gave even Harvard's elite squad a run for their money, Denzel Washington's The Great Debaters features the director himself as the ambitious ...more

The Great Debaters wants to be an Oscar contender. It has all the qualities that should place it squarely on the Academy’s radar: Oprah "Do No Wrong" Winfrey produced it, Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker have lead roles, and the film adopts a palatable feel good aesthetic, examining the true story of a coach who assembled an all-black championship debate team that rivaled Harvard during the 1930s, an era when "separate but equal" still ruled in Texas. Despite possessing ...more