We feel a little shaken after watching the new trailer for The Great Debaters (which you can see here). Not in an emotional distress way, but in the way a very strict teacher might shake you and maybe slap you lightly on the face because this is important and will be on the test.
The Great Debaters is based on the the true story of a black professor (Denzel Washington) at a Texas college in 1935 who inspired his students to use their minds and words as weapons in a time of widespread racism. The group of students went on to challenge none-more-white Harvard in a debating contest, which attracted the attention of the media and gave them a place in history.
That's a great story to be told and Washington looks up to his normal high standard, but the yearning for Oscar success is so palpable and hectoring (stirring music, dramatic montages, lots of frowning) that it's slightly put us off.