Synopsis
A drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship.
Scores
Overall Score
78.1
Popularity Percentile (Year)
75.9%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
79.4%
Review Aggregate
80.8
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is largely positive, with 80% of 126 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize emotional, uplifting, historical. Most critics frame the film as an effective delivery of its core style and intent.
emotionalupliftinghistoricalcharacter-drivenfamily-friendlyvisually strikinggrittyrealistictragicdark
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denzel Washington | 2007 | $903,000 | $1,366,000 | (est) |
| Forest Whitaker | 2007 | $556,000 | $841,000 | (est) |
| Nate Parker | 2007 | $418,000 | $633,000 | (est) |
| Jurnee Smollett | 2007 | $342,000 | $518,000 | (est) |
| Denzel Whitaker | 2007 | $293,000 | $443,000 | (est) |
| John Heard | 2007 | $258,000 | $390,000 | (est) |
| Kimberly Elise | 2007 | $231,000 | $350,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score80.0
RT critic review count132
Rotten Tomatoes audience score86.0
RT audience rating count100,000
IMDb rating7.5
IMDb votes65,527
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 2007 | $30,236,407 | $45,755,721 |
| International | 2007 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 2007 | $30,236,407 | $45,755,721 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 2007 | $15,118,204 | $22,877,860 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 2007 | $821,000 | $1,242,391 |
| Digital Purchases ? | 2007 | $306,000 | $463,059 |
| Physical Rentals ? | 2007 | $14,133,000 | $21,386,986 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 2007 | $31,757,000 | $48,056,782 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 2007 | $7,559,102 | $11,438,930 |
| Total Revenues | 2007 | $69,694,305 | $105,466,008 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 2007 | $15,000,000 | $22,698,987 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 2007 | $18,750,000 (est) | $28,373,734 (est) |
| Participations | 2007 | $5,576,000 | $8,437,970 |
| Residuals ? | 2007 | $3,794,000 | $5,741,330 |
| Interest & Overhead | 2007 | $3,000,000 | $4,539,797 |
| Total Expenses | 2007 | $46,120,000 | $69,791,819 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 2007 | $23,574,305 | $35,674,190 |
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 | Coach Carter | 2005 | Shared genres: 5 | 87.0 | $-22,474,471 |
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 | Dangerous Minds | 1995 | Shared genres: 5 | 81.4 | $83,103,133 |
 | Lean on Me | 1989 | Shared genres: 5 | 76.3 | $50,520,840 |
 | Stand and Deliver | 1988 | Shared genres: 5 | 72.5 | $31,708,241 |