‘Great Debaters’ great movie manipulators

Went today to see “The Great Debaters,” which was directed by and stars Denzel Washington. I can’t remember when I ever admired a bit of movie manipulation more than this.

Faint praise, I know. Fact is, the film is well-directed, even though it’s only Washington’s second directorial effort (his first: 2002’s “Antwone Fisher”). It was edited by Hughes Winborne (Oscar winner for “Crash”), shot by Philippe Rousselot (Oscar winner for “A River Runs Through It”) and co-produced by Oprah Winfrey (who obviously spared no expense).

And the acting is, for the most part, superb. Washington is … well, two-time Academy Award winner Washington, one of the great actors of his generation. Forest Whitaker , who owns an Oscar of his own, is his equal as a disciplined town minister.

And the debaters themselves also are good: Nate Parker is the talented ne’er-do-well who grows up, Jurnee Smollett (nice name) is the strong woman who holds her own in a sexist/racist world, and Denzel Whitaker (yes, that’s his real name) does well as the only one of the three whose character, James Farmer Jr ., isn’t a composite.

Yet the review of the film that ran in 7 by Stephen Whitty is right on when it accuses screenwriter Robert Eisele of intellectual dishonesty. The script paints most white characters in broad strokes, saving the choicest role for John Heard as a cowardly racist sheriff straight out of a “Mr. Tibbs” movie.

Forget the fact that the debaters (from little Wiley College) ended up competing against USC, not Harvard. That’s just the kind of natural exaggeration that Hollywood specializes in.

More to the point, though, is the fact that the Wiley team always – always – is arguing the “correct” position. The debaters are for nonviolence, welfare, education for blacks, etc.

As Whittty points out, debates don’t work that way. Sometimes you have to argue positions you don’t agree with. That’s what makes the exercise so interesting. And challenging.

Had “The Great Debaters” shown any real courage to its convictions, it would have faced that challenge squarely. Instead, it’s just a pretty, well-made bit of fantasy wish-fulfillment.