Starring: Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker
The Great Debaters, set in 1930s Texas during the Great Depression, revolves around the Debating Club of a black-only university called Wiley College. The four team members compete against white colleges across southern America, eventually venturing north to compete with the Harvard University Debating Team─and winning the trophy.
Though based on a true story, there was one slightly glaring inconsistency in the plot. In real life, the Wiley College Debating Club didn’t compete against Harvard, but the University of Southern California, the reigning debating champions of that time. In actual fact, there was very little segregation in northern America, least of all in Harvard, where many black students had studied since the 1870s.
Having said that, the acting was exceptional (what more could you expect from Denzel Washington?), and I didn’t find it to be cheesy at all, as are many films these days. Overall, I really enjoyed this film. I’d give it 4 out of 5 stars.
