7/10
David Lee, The Weinstein Company
Sport: Debate
Rebel/Loner Hero: Melvin Tolson (Denzel Washington), a coach who pushes his team at (the very real) Wiley College to a national championship.
LOL Training Montage Moment: Debater Samantha is late to practice, and sits next to boyfriend, Henry. As he whispers to her, she unloads a roundhouse slap across his face. Denzel raises an eyebrow and says, "Resolved" (the debate term for introducing an argument) and continues with practice.
Is the Big Game Against Harvard? Oh, is it ever! The teams debate "non-violent resistance," the founding principle of the Civil Rights Movement. Harvard's lily-white team mocks the idea, but Denzel's team fights back and beats the proto-preppies.