Debate drama hits the shelves
By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2008
Before the new Indiana Jones film comes out, you can brush up on your "Raiders" lore. The three previous films arrive this week individually and collectively on DVD. What you'll notice? That Steven Spielberg really knows how to make an entertaining film. Even the bad middle one ("Temple of Doom") doesn't look so bad.
A bunch of westerns rides into town, too, and a set of Frank Sinatra films (including a TV movie of his life) make it to DVD.
The upshot? It's a hodgepodge week, highlighted by one new film -- "The Great Debaters," a noble drama that does for debate what "Hoosiers" did for basketball.
Directed by Denzel Washington and produced by Oprah Winfrey, the film recalls moments from both of their film careers. There are touches of "Glory" wrapped in "The Color Purple," scenes from "Antwone Fisher" siphoned through "Cry Freedom." It's not overly original but it is moving.
Washington (pulling a Kevin Costner and directing himself) stars as Melvin Tolson, the Wiley College professor who nurtured a winning debate team in the '30s. Four students -- one veteran, one wild card, one female and one 14-year-old -- listen as he makes like Sidney Poitier in "To Sir With Love" and hammers the message into them. Along the way, they witness a lynching, experience prejudice and struggle with in-fighting. One by one, the wins add up. Then the coach gets into a bit of trouble and the team lands an invitation to debate at Harvard.
Going it alone, the debaters enter the hallowed auditorium like the athletes in "Hoosiers." They size things up before beginning the work needed to take on the big boys.
Washington uses a lot of filtered light and swelling music to cue the audience but he doesn't do much to temper his own performance. His Tolson, in fact, is so over the top, you wonder if he belongs in another film. Forest Whitaker -- as the school's president -- is much more effective. He underplays his scenes and gets a much stronger response.
Better yet? Real son Denzel Whitaker plays his 14-year-old offspring -- the whiz kid of the debate team. The younger Whitaker gets moments that add up to a greater whole. When he delivers his last speech, "The Great Debaters" lives up to its title.
Until then, it's pretty much business as usual. The film, in fact, looks an awful lot like a made-for-TV movie. All that's missing are the commercial breaks.
Nate Parker and Jurnee Smollett are good as two of the other debaters, even though their stories play out like pulp fiction. He follows a predictable path; she rises up, not unlike Halle Berry in "Queen." Had a different director approached the subject matter their moments might have been as strong as the younger Whitaker's.
When Washington updates the audience -- telling what happened to the team -- "Great Debaters" earns its tears. These were remarkable people, we learn. Washington just puts them through some unremarkable paces.
Also: 'Raisin in the Sun'
Starring much of the cast of the recent Broadway revival, the recent television version of "A Raisin in the Sun" shows how good writing is timeless.
Phylicia Rashad plays a woman on the cusp of retirement. She's about to get a $10,000 insurance check. How she'll spend it fuels the first half of the story. Her son (Combs) wants to use it to open a liquor store and find independence. Her daughter (Sanaa Lathan) wants to go to medical school. Her daughter-in-law (Audra McDonald) wants a bigger house. The dreams conflict, giving Rashad plenty of stirring moments. Once she makes her decision, new problems emerge.
Director Kenny Leon gives every moment its time. Combs is surprisingly good as a restless chauffeur who thinks the money is his way out of a life of servitude. McDonald suffers in silence. The contrasting performances work well, particularly when Rashad steps in to temper them.
As the ray of hope, Lathan is torn. She has two suitors, each representing a different path in life. How one shows her what's important makes "Raisin" shine.
In the second half, Stamos turns up as a neighbor who has an intriguing proposition. Combs has his "come to Jesus" moment, too, and Rashad gets that big scene that explains why she won the Tony for Best Actress.
While "A Raisin in the Sun" is talkier than most shows, its words aren't wasted. Even Combs -- who wouldn't seem like a wordy guy -- knows how to make writer Lorraine Hansberry proud. Leon tempers the performances (Rashad, in particular, pulls back) and gets a production that has as much relevance today as it did in the '50s.
Sidney Poitier starred in the original but it's clear he doesn't own the role Combs now plays. Taking it in a different direction, the Grammy winner finds his own truth and embraces it. Tears flow naturally.
A bunch of westerns rides into town, too, and a set of Frank Sinatra films (including a TV movie of his life) make it to DVD.
The upshot? It's a hodgepodge week, highlighted by one new film -- "The Great Debaters," a noble drama that does for debate what "Hoosiers" did for basketball.
Directed by Denzel Washington and produced by Oprah Winfrey, the film recalls moments from both of their film careers. There are touches of "Glory" wrapped in "The Color Purple," scenes from "Antwone Fisher" siphoned through "Cry Freedom." It's not overly original but it is moving.
Washington (pulling a Kevin Costner and directing himself) stars as Melvin Tolson, the Wiley College professor who nurtured a winning debate team in the '30s. Four students -- one veteran, one wild card, one female and one 14-year-old -- listen as he makes like Sidney Poitier in "To Sir With Love" and hammers the message into them. Along the way, they witness a lynching, experience prejudice and struggle with in-fighting. One by one, the wins add up. Then the coach gets into a bit of trouble and the team lands an invitation to debate at Harvard.
Going it alone, the debaters enter the hallowed auditorium like the athletes in "Hoosiers." They size things up before beginning the work needed to take on the big boys.
Washington uses a lot of filtered light and swelling music to cue the audience but he doesn't do much to temper his own performance. His Tolson, in fact, is so over the top, you wonder if he belongs in another film. Forest Whitaker -- as the school's president -- is much more effective. He underplays his scenes and gets a much stronger response.
Better yet? Real son Denzel Whitaker plays his 14-year-old offspring -- the whiz kid of the debate team. The younger Whitaker gets moments that add up to a greater whole. When he delivers his last speech, "The Great Debaters" lives up to its title.
Until then, it's pretty much business as usual. The film, in fact, looks an awful lot like a made-for-TV movie. All that's missing are the commercial breaks.
Nate Parker and Jurnee Smollett are good as two of the other debaters, even though their stories play out like pulp fiction. He follows a predictable path; she rises up, not unlike Halle Berry in "Queen." Had a different director approached the subject matter their moments might have been as strong as the younger Whitaker's.
When Washington updates the audience -- telling what happened to the team -- "Great Debaters" earns its tears. These were remarkable people, we learn. Washington just puts them through some unremarkable paces.
Also: 'Raisin in the Sun'
Starring much of the cast of the recent Broadway revival, the recent television version of "A Raisin in the Sun" shows how good writing is timeless.
Phylicia Rashad plays a woman on the cusp of retirement. She's about to get a $10,000 insurance check. How she'll spend it fuels the first half of the story. Her son (Combs) wants to use it to open a liquor store and find independence. Her daughter (Sanaa Lathan) wants to go to medical school. Her daughter-in-law (Audra McDonald) wants a bigger house. The dreams conflict, giving Rashad plenty of stirring moments. Once she makes her decision, new problems emerge.
Director Kenny Leon gives every moment its time. Combs is surprisingly good as a restless chauffeur who thinks the money is his way out of a life of servitude. McDonald suffers in silence. The contrasting performances work well, particularly when Rashad steps in to temper them.
As the ray of hope, Lathan is torn. She has two suitors, each representing a different path in life. How one shows her what's important makes "Raisin" shine.
In the second half, Stamos turns up as a neighbor who has an intriguing proposition. Combs has his "come to Jesus" moment, too, and Rashad gets that big scene that explains why she won the Tony for Best Actress.
While "A Raisin in the Sun" is talkier than most shows, its words aren't wasted. Even Combs -- who wouldn't seem like a wordy guy -- knows how to make writer Lorraine Hansberry proud. Leon tempers the performances (Rashad, in particular, pulls back) and gets a production that has as much relevance today as it did in the '50s.
Sidney Poitier starred in the original but it's clear he doesn't own the role Combs now plays. Taking it in a different direction, the Grammy winner finds his own truth and embraces it. Tears flow naturally.
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