The Great Debaters...

I loved this movie. It was truly inspiring in many ways. My favorite story line in the film is the evolving relationship of trust between the preacher and scholar James L. Farmer (played by Forest Whitaker) and his son James L. Farmer Jr. (played by the adorable Denzel Whitaker).

My criticism of the film is this. They downplayed the violence, the terror and the devastation in the film seemingly to make the film more appropriate for a younger audience. But then, they toss in a love story that is inappropriate for the same audience, is distracting to the film, seems really implausible for the character of Samantha Booke and actually feeds into a racial stereotype that I find particularly offensive.

I still think the film is very worth while and the acting is superb.. by some of America's finest.. but sadly, it's not a film that I would recommend for kids under high school age, which is tragic.