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'The Great Debaters'

"The Great Debaters," a fact-based new film directed by, and starring Denzel Washington, is not a great movie.

But it is a good, solidly acted production that is well worth your time, if only for its ability to make collegiate debating a lot more compelling than your typical Hollywood car chase or computer-counterfeited chop-socky brawl.

It recalls "Akeelah and the Bee" in its earnestness. It contains some of the best elements of a good sports movie. And it revels in the power of words and critical thinking.

The story recalls the real-life glory of a debating team at a tiny black Texas school, Wiley College, that becomes so good it begins to challenge white colleges.

There are flaws, among them a thin romantic subplot and a white racist sheriff who is written too broadly to be taken seriously.

But on the whole, a good cast and pretty good script go a long way

Not only do two superb actors in Washington and Forrest Whitaker share screen time, but so does an excellent young actor named (and I'm not kidding) Denzel Whitaker.

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