If you're in the mood to see an underdog film with some great acting, check out The Great Debaters. Based on a true story, this inspirational film includes A-list actors such as Denzel Washington (proving again why he's one of Hollywood's best) and Forest Whitaker. Professor Melvin Tolson (played by Denzel) is the coach of a debate team for a small African American college during the 1930's. Tolson teaches his team the power of words, and challenges them to use their skills to debate bigger universities. Along the way, they deal with extreme racism along with their own personal conflicts. In regards to the racism issue, there is one scene that got me really pissed off. It was very hard to watch. But seeing the team work to overcome the odds and travel to Harvard for a final debate made up for the horrible situations they had to deal with. Expect to be cheering for them by the ending of the film!
The Great Debaters comes out on DVD May 13th. The special features include a commentary by Denzel Washington and a documentary with the original debaters, giving you more insight into the story.
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