The Great Debaters

Set in 1930s Texas, The Great Debaters follows Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College who forms a debate team from his African-American students. Working against the racism and prejudice of the era, he trains a small group of talented young people and takes them toward a national competition, where they ultimately face the elite debaters of Harvard University. The story is based on real events and real people.

Denzel Washington directed the film, his second time behind the camera after Antwone Fisher in 2002; he also plays Tolson, with Robert Eisele writing the screenplay and Oprah Winfrey among the producers. The cast includes Denzel Whitaker as James Farmer Jr., Nate Parker as Henry Lowe, Jurnee Smollett as Samantha Booke, and Forest Whitaker as Dr. James Farmer Sr.

Released in December 2007, the film runs 126 minutes. It was made for 15 million dollars and earned about 30 million worldwide, a modest multiple of its budget. On IMDb it holds 7.5/10 from over 61,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.3/10 from several hundred votes, while critics gave it 7/10 across 134 reviews, placing it roughly in line with audience opinion. Washington went on to direct Fences in 2016 and A Journal for Jordan in 2021.