Not only did Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker deliver memorable performances, but so did the supporting actors. This is about a real person, Melvin Tolson, who had an incredible record of 10 winning seasons as a debate coach. This movie covers the year they won the national championship (in the movie it was against Harvard, but in reality it was against USC). The advisor for the movie was one of the members of this exceptional team, Henrietta Bell Wells. She died two months after the movie was released, so was able to see the finished product.
The movie has some invented dramatic scenes, such as the lynching, that do not detract from the overall positive message of the film. The team also got the "good" side of each topic, even though this was not likely the case, but makes for a better story. In general, however, the movie stresses preparation as the key to winning debates.
BTW, Denzel Whitaker is not the son of Forest Whitaker, as another review claims (although he was named after Denzel Washington).
The movie has some invented dramatic scenes, such as the lynching, that do not detract from the overall positive message of the film. The team also got the "good" side of each topic, even though this was not likely the case, but makes for a better story. In general, however, the movie stresses preparation as the key to winning debates.
BTW, Denzel Whitaker is not the son of Forest Whitaker, as another review claims (although he was named after Denzel Washington).