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(About Our Ads) "THE GREAT DEBATERS" (2007) (Denzel Washington, Nate Parker) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Heavy Extreme *Moderate Moderate Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Minor Minor Heavy Moderate Mild Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Moderate Moderate Heavy *Heavy QUICK TAKE: Drama: While covertly helping unionize some sharecroppers, a black professor at a 1930s era college tries to motivate the students on his debate team, all as they hope to take on the current champions from Harvard. PLOT: It's 1935 and Marshall, Texas is still deep in the throes of racism and segregation. For black students and professors, however, the one bastion is Wiley College, a black institution overseen by Dr. James Farmer, Sr. (FOREST WHITAKER), whose own son, 14-year-old James Farmer, Jr. (DENZEL WHITAKER), is a student there. He wants to be on the debate team that's run by Melvin B. Tolson (DENZEL WASHINGTON), a professor who's passionate about the team as well as his covert attempts to union the local sharecroppers. Those actions don't set well with Sheriff Dozier (JOHN HEARD) or the other white folk in town who try to thwart such efforts. Nevertheless, Tolson sets out to motivate his students, choosing James Jr. and transfer student Samantha Booke (JURNEE SMOLLETT) to be the alternates on the team led by Hamilton Burgess (JERMAINE WILLIAMS) and Henry Lowe (NATE PARKER). The latter shows promise but needs polishing, and Tolson thinks he can provide that. Preparing to debate other black colleges, a white one, and even Harvard, the team tries to refine their skills, all while dealing with living and going to school in the Jim Crow south. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? A period movie about young people on a debate team might not draw in a lot, but those who are interested in the subject matter or who are fans of anyone in the cast might be interested. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For depiction of strong thematic material including violence and disturbing images, and for language and brief sexuality. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: DENZEL WASHINGTON plays a professor at a black college in 1930s era Texas, and thus must put up with living and working in a Jim Crow society. Nevertheless, he tries to inspire his students (particularly those on his debate team) while also secretly helping local sharecroppers unionize. He also smokes pipes a few times. NATE PARKER plays one of his debate team members who's obviously smart, but also impulsive. He fools around with various women (including Samantha as well as a married woman), drinks (to the point of intoxication in one scene), and doesn't want to sit idly by in the face of racism and lynchings. JURNEE SMOLLETT plays a transfer student to the college who becomes the first woman on the debate team. Initially unsure of herself, she rises to the top and proves her worth, even when jeopardizing that by sleeping with Henry. DENZEL WHITAKER plays a 14-year-old student at the college who tries to live up to his father's strict rules and expectations. He finds what he thinks is a good role model in his coach, and falls for Samantha, but realizes he doesn't stand a chance with her against Henry who's older. Awkward at first while debating, he quickly grows into a formidable competitor. He briefly drinks. FOREST WHITAKER plays his father, a scholar at the school who only wants the best for his son and the rest of his family, and must choose what battles he must fight. He doesn't agree with what Tolson is doing in terms of roiling the white locals, but stands up for him when it counts. JOHN HEARD plays the local sheriff, a racist man who doesn't like Tolson's efforts to unionize local sharecroppers. He uses some profanity. JERMAINE WILLIAMS plays another debate team member who quits over how his father views Tolson's extracurricular activities. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this drama that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 4 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. A young couple has sex (with partial views, but no nudity or sounds), while some other brief fooling around also occurs. We see the aftermath of a lynching (including close-up views of the back of the dead, burned and hanged man), and the perpetrators of that pursue and throw rocks at black bystanders who come upon the scene. Other fighting and contact also occurs. Some of those scenes may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to viewers, while various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes. Characters smoke or drink, while tense family material is present, as are various thematic elements (most notably regarding racism). If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some handheld camera footage in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Henry shares his flask with a woman at a party where others drink beer. People drink at a party. Henry pours liquor from his flask into another guy's cup. When James Jr. arrives home late at night, his dad is quite upset with him, and asks if he's been drinking (he hasn't). After having witnessed the aftermath of a lynching, Henry is drunk and later fools around with a woman in that state. Henry drinks from a flask and then shares that with James Jr. We see miscellaneous drinking in a club. BLOOD/GORE A dead hog has some blood from its mouth. A man's face is bloody after being hit. Hamilton runs after the team's vehicle down the road, zipping up his pants (suggesting he had just been relieving himself). We see an older sharecropper with a swollen face and black eye, with the implication being that Sheriff Dozier or someone in his department beat the man. While driving the debate team at night, Tolson comes across a lynching, where we see a black man's burned body strung up (the view is in close-up from behind of burned/charred skin). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE We learn that a married woman is cheating on her husband with Henry at a party. That man then shows up and throws Henry down some steps. The husband then pulls a knife and comes at Henry who avoids the blade while hitting and kicking that man (including in the crotch). Henry then pulls a switchblade, but Tolson then stops him from doing something he'll regret. We see a "whites only" bench in town. While driving with his family, James Sr. accidentally drives into an already dead or injured hog that's in the middle of the road (the actions of some local white kids indicate they either set that up, or realized it was going to happen). Two white men then walk up, with one mad about his dead hog, and the fact that James Sr. and his family are black doesn't help matters. James Sr. gets out to try to resolve matters as quietly as possible, but one man calls him "boy" and the other pulls his gun. James Sr. offers to pay, but doesn't have the cash and thus offers to do so via signing over his check. His wife is reluctant to give that up, but James Sr. convinces her. Yet, when he hands that to the hog's owner, the man purposefully lets the check fall to the ground so that James Sr. has to pick it up and hand it to him again. They then comment on "town niggers" and make James Sr. help them move the dead hog. Tolson uses the term "nigger." James Jr. secretly follows Tolson at night to a secret meeting where Tolson is trying to organize the local sharecroppers. A mob of white folk, led by Sheriff Dozier then crash the meeting (smashing a truck through a barn wall), hit various people, and start a fire in the barn. We see an older sharecropper with a swollen face and black eye, with the implication being that Sheriff Dozier or someone in his department beat the man. Some white audience members leave a debate when the Wiley team argues in favor of integration. Some viewers might not like Tolson saying that Jesus was a radical (while proving a point about something else). James Jr. is upset with Samantha after learning that she spent the night with Henry. Sheriff Dozier refers to James Sr. as "boy." While driving the debate team at night, Tolson comes across a lynching, where we see a black man's burned body strung up (the view is in close-up from behind of burned/charred skin). Henry wants to get out and cut the man down, but Tolson stops him. The mob then spots Tolson and gives chase, with him driving as fast as he can in reverse, with the mob throwing things at his car, hitting it and breaking the window. Samantha looks out the window and sees Henry kissing another young woman against her car, with her leg up alongside him (he's been drinking in reaction to having witnessed the aftermath of a lynching). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may also be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. While driving with his family, James Sr. accidentally drives into an already dead or injured hog that's in the middle of the road (the actions of some local white kids indicate they either set that up, or realized it was going to happen). Two white men then walk up, with one mad about his dead hog, and the fact that James Sr. and his family are black doesn't help matters. James Sr. gets out to try to resolve matters as quietly as possible, but one man calls him "boy" and the other pulls his gun. James Sr. offers to pay, but doesn't have the cash and thus offers to do so via signing over his check. His wife is reluctant to give that up, but James Sr. convinces her. Yet, when he hands that to the hog's owner, the man purposefully lets the check fall to the ground so that James Sr. has to pick it up and hand it to him again. They then comment on "town niggers" and make James Sr. help them move the dead hog. When asked about his past, Tolson reluctantly goes into a story about the genesis of the term "lynch" and talks of a man (possibly his father) who was tarred, burned, and pulled apart, while other blacks there were beaten (this is not seen, just described). James Jr. secretly follows Tolson at night to a secret meeting where Tolson is trying to organize the local sharecroppers. A mob of white folk, led by Sheriff Dozier then crash the meeting (smashing a truck through a barn wall), hit various people, and start a fire in the barn. James Jr. tries to get away, but is faced by a spooked horse that rears up in front of him. Tolson then grabs James Jr. and quickly escorts him away. While driving the debate team at night, Tolson comes across a lynching, where we see a black man's burned body strung up (the view is in close-up from behind of burned/charred skin). Henry wants to get out and cut the man down, but Tolson stops him. The mob then spots Tolson and gives chase, with him driving as fast as he can in reverse, with the mob throwing things at his car, hitting it and breaking the window. GUNS/WEAPONS We learn that a married woman is cheating on her husband with Henry at a party. That man then shows up and throws Henry down some steps. The husband then pulls a knife and comes at Henry who avoids the blade while hitting and kicking that man (including in the crotch). Henry then pulls a switchblade, but Tolson then stops him from doing something he'll regret. After James Jr. accidentally hits a hog in the road, its owner and another man show up, with the second man pulling a gun in an intimidating fashion. Sheriff Dozier and his deputies arrive with rifles to arrest Tolson, and there's some brief struggling. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "You ain't got sh*t," "He ain't got sh*t," "Who the hell /is he/are you?" "What the hell /happened/do I look like, a mailman?" "Boy" (for a black man), "Where the hell you think you're going?" "Town niggers," "Crackers," "Shut up," "To hell with you" and "To hell with me?" Tolson stands on a desk to dramatize a point in class. JUMP SCENES Tolson suddenly grabs James Jr. (to get him out of harm's way in a perilous situation). MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of suspenseful/ominous and some heavily dramatic music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) After having witnessed the aftermath of a lynching, Henry is drunk and sings an old racist song with lines such as "Run, nigger, run" and "Hanging from a tree." PROFANITY At least 4 "s" words, 13 hells, 2 uses each of "Jesus" and "Oh Lord" and 1 use of "Good Lord." SEX/NUDITY From a distance, we see Henry making out with a woman out on a dock of a swamp house. He shares his flask with her, and has his hands on her clothed hips and sides, but her husband then shows up. James Jr. imagines dancing with Samantha, including a brief kiss. A man has his hand on a woman's clothed butt at a party. Henry and Samantha briefly kiss, and we then see brief and partial views of them having sex (his movement and her facial reactions, but no nudity and no sounds). The next morning, they're in bed under the sheets. He then gets up to answer the door and is in just his boxers, while we see her bare shoulders. It's James Jr. at the door, and he spots Samantha's shoes on the floor and thus realizes she spent the night there. Samantha looks out the window and sees Henry kissing another young woman against her car, with her leg up alongside him (he's been drinking in reaction to having witnessed the aftermath of a lynching). Henry tells Samantha that sometimes the mobs also cut off a lynching victim's privates. We see a man kissing on a woman in a club. SMOKING Tolson smokes a pipe several times and holds an unlit one on several other occasions, while various miscellaneous people smoke in various scenes. Several scenes feature men with cigarettes over their ears (just one each time). TENSE FAMILY SCENES We learn that a married woman is cheating on her husband with Henry at a party. That man then shows up and things get ugly. When asked about his past, Tolson reluctantly goes into a story about the genesis of the term "lynch" and talks of a man (possibly his father) who was tarred, burned, and pulled apart, while other blacks there were beaten. When James Jr. arrives home late at night, his dad is quite upset with him, and asks if he's been drinking (he hasn't). To protect Tolson's secret, he won't tell his dad where he's been, causing increased tension that eventually causes James Sr. to slap his son. We hear that Henry's parents are dead and that he was raised by his grandparents. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The historical accuracy of the movie and/or any artistic license taken with the true story. Racism then and now (for instance, we see a "whites only" bench in town). Life for black people (including college students) in the south during the 1930s. Tolson mentions a time when Negroes were denied birth certificates. Samantha being the first female on the school's debate team. Tolson's comment that the color black has always been used to equate to failure. The comment that you do what you have to so that you can do what you want to. Tolson uses the term "nigger." Tolson commenting on past slave owners' philosophy toward slaves being to keep the body strong, but the mind weak. Tolson's attempts to organize the local sharecroppers into a union, and the reaction of others to that. Hamilton resigns from the team over thinking Tolson is a communist (and due to related pressure from his unseen father). Participating on a debate team. The debate over whether civil disobedience is moral or not. The comment that an unjust law is no law at all. VIOLENCE We learn that a married woman is cheating on her husband with Henry at a party. That man then shows up and throws Henry down some steps. The husband then pulls a knife and comes at Henry who avoids the blade while hitting and kicking that man (including in the crotch). Henry then pulls a switchblade, but Tolson then stops him from doing something he'll regret. While driving with his family, James Sr. accidentally drives into an already dead or injured hog that's in the middle of the road (the actions of some local white kids indicate they either set that up, or realized it was going to happen). James Jr. secretly follows Tolson at night to a secret meeting where Tolson is trying to organize the local sharecroppers. A mob of white folk, led by Sheriff Dozier then crash the meeting (smashing a truck through a barn wall), hit various people, and start a fire in the barn. James Jr. tries to get away, but is faced by a spooked horse that rears up in front of him. Tolson then grabs James Jr. and quickly escorts him away. When James Jr. arrives home late at night, his dad is quite upset with him, and asks if he's been drinking (he hasn't). To protect Tolson's secret, he won't tell his dad where he's been, causing increased tension that eventually causes James Sr. to slap his son. We see an older sharecropper with a swollen face and black eye, with the implication being that Sheriff Dozier or someone in his department beat the man. Sheriff Dozier and his deputies arrive with rifles to arrest Tolson, and there's some brief struggling. While driving the debate team at night, Tolson comes across a lynching, where we see a black man's burned body strung up (the view is in close-up from behind of burned/charred skin). Henry wants to get out and cut the man down, but Tolson stops him. The mob then spots Tolson and gives chase, with him driving as fast as he can in reverse, with the mob throwing things at his car, hitting it and breaking the window. Henry and James Jr. briefly struggle. Samantha slaps Henry for fooling around with another woman after they (Samantha and Henry) previously had sex. Reviewed December 7, 2007 / Posted December 25, 2007