Christmas was a quiet affair for us this year, it was just our little family of five. We skipped the the big get together, which was a blessing in disguise, but that’s another matter.
This movie, the great debaters, opened on Christmas day so after waking up and opening presents, we went to dim sum at Hong Kong Restaurant then went to see The Great Debaters. We were thinking we would be the only ones at the theater, it being Christmas day and all, not many will probably venture out. We were wrong, and it was a good thing that we got there a bit early and staked our center seats because before we knew it, the theater was full and people were scrambling for seats.
The movie is co-produced by Oprah Winfrey so it has been featured on her TV show creating buzz about it. It is a feel good movie, you knew it will have a happy ending, so it was perfect to take the kids to on Christmas day. The movie is supposed to be based on a true story about a debate team from a small historically black college in Texas who went on to debate and beat the Harvard team. To get there, the movie gives you a peek at racial issues prevalent during that time period in the south. It is a great lesson for kids who may not always be aware where the racial tensions in their schools and society in general stemmed from. For those who grew up during segregation, these memories are still vivid but for young people today, unless their parents kept those memories on the surface, I’m afraid most of them are ignorant of how things were back then. It also illustrates what we’ve always tried to tell them about working hard for what you want and believe in and you will achieve it no matter what obstacles are thrown your way. For that reason and because it generated discussion about the topic, I am glad we took the girls to see it.
Reading other reviews about the movie though, I just realized how ‘loosely’ it is really based on the true story. I am just bothered that the creative license taken in making the movie was not mentioned in any of the promotional interviews. I think I am not the only one who came away from the movie thinking it was a true depiction of events when in fact a great deal of the story is fictional.
Overall though, it was an enjoyable movie. The theater applauded when it ended so I’m guessing most of the audience also enjoyed it.
