Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times was one of the most enthusiastic about this film, directed by star Denzel Washington and produced by Oprah Winfrey. He addresses the concerns of his brethren head on, noting that the film "is about an underdog debate team that wins a national championship, and some critics have complained that it follows the formula of all sports movies by leading up, through great adversity, to a victory at the end. So it does. How many sports movies, or movies about underdogs competing in any way, have you seen that end in defeat? It is human nature to seek inspiration in victory, and this is a film that is affirming and inspiring and re-creates the stories of a remarkable team and its coach."

The Hollywood Reporter calls "Debaters" "an earnest drama about the search for self-esteem and sense of responsibility among young black people that successfully relies on its fine actors."

Jack Mathews of the New York Daily News says, "It's an inspirational film that wears its heart on its sleeve. But it's got a good, strong heart and, despite some awkward moments in the later going, it's an elegantly directed second effort from Washington, who first went behind the camera for 2002's 'Antwone Fisher.' Given its historical foundation, 'The Great Debaters' is necessarily formulaic. We see the team of four being selected from 45 student applicants and follow them as they crush one opponent after another until they are invited to Cambridge, Mass., to face Harvard. To give the story narrative drive, the screenwriters created internal tension among the Wiley debaters and racial tension in their community."

For Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, "Because it is so old-school Hollywood, with a weakness for standard moments and pat situations, 'The Great Debaters' initially comes off as easily dismissible. Largely saving it from that fate is the presence and ability of Denzel Washington, who costars with Forest Whitaker and directs from Robert Eisele's script. Working hard on both sides of the camera, Washington has grafted his intensity onto this production, giving it a kind of backbone it would not otherwise have."

Even among those less than impressed, there was an acknowledgement of the film's success. Claudia Puig of USA Today says, "Though the narrative follows the formula of inspirational movies and the uplifting resolution is inevitable, it doesn't detract from the film's appeal. Yes, the conflict feels forced in a key scene involving Tolson's appearance at the big Harvard debate. But the film is so good-natured, it's hard to hold that against it. 'The Great Debaters' is unapologetically predictable, but well crafted enough to pull it off."

But for Gene Seymour of Newsday, the film "is grimly determined to inspire by any means necessary. On a purely visceral level, it succeeds, but at considerable cost to historical veracity and dramatic nuance. You admire the film for trying to get moviegoers worked up over protagonists who use rhetoric and reason as weapons instead of guns and fists. You lament that it doesn't trust its material enough to do much more than flatter its audience's good intentions."

(Photo: Weinstein Co./ MGM)