Speech & Debate

I see people who gave it a low rating because it isn't representative of real speech and debate clubs. That's true but the movie is about totally different themes. It's about adults refusing to acknowledge real issues and ignoring teens who are literally shouting to be heard. I think the movie did a great job at portraying this. I think the characters are fun and loveable as well.

It's a very entertaining movie all over. The acting was good made some interest points and above else it was really fun I got a smile for almoste the entire lenght! Really recomend

If you are coming to see a movie about debate then this is not a movie for you. The main focus of the film is about the three teens that make up the debate team and their struggles. I love how light hearted and funny this film is, and how the kids form a great bond with one another!

I watched this movie mostly to catch up on Liam James since his standout performance in "The Way Way Back". It is a humorous take on how three high school kids are rejected by the school board, teachers and then students at small town Oregon high school for their strong positions on things: Sarah Steele as Diwata Jones who is a natural drama/musical actress is rejected for the lead part in a school musical because she insists removed lines and scenes about teen pregnancy are restored, Liam James as Solomon Merrick who is an unassuming but intrepid reporter on the school paper who wants to report on the scandal of a teacher dismissed for child sex abuse but is silenced and Austin McKenzie as Howie Hawthorne a gay recent transferee from liberal Portland to a conservative Salem who wants to set up a Gay Straight Alliance at the school but is thwarted. The three try to find voices for their rejected passions in the school Speech and Debate Club with mixed results. The movie climaxes with a compelling song and dance routine at the School Board's open mike night with a somewhat satisfying conclusion for the three upperclass students. The plot did jump around a bit but the acting was good not great. I do find Hollywood's tendency to use youthful looking young adult actors playing teenagers to be annoying as it robs the movie of adolescent authenticity. Austin McKenzie was 23 playing an 18 year old, Sarah Steele was 28 ridiculously also playing a Senior and even Liam James (who was a very young looking 20 year old) was playing a Junior, these are all grown adults and they bring poise, maturity and on stage professionalism that is less evident with what an actual 17 or 18 year old actor still be in high school would be like. Looking young just isn't enough and when you're trying to cover quite heavy topics like teen pregnancy, censorship of young voices and how gay students cope in small town high schools, the movie's makers would've done the story lines more justice if they had used actors who really were still in the trenches of high school to best portray issues like these.

Sometimes you are not able to get into a debate. For kids this is not something new. And when I say kids, I mean teens. While many do try to have fun during that period, that doesn't mean that some kids are more mature and have things that bother them, that they want to talk about. Now to some this may seem trivial and I reckon considering the latest mass shooting at a school, you could very well argue that point. But it is not just about petty things, it is about the general state of not being able to listen to the person sitting next or opposite to you. When our main actor is trying to change something in his school, he's being shut down. He's being told to go and do something else. Like join an existing club. One that no one pays attention to anyway. So the solution is to keep one quiet. And while I see one other reviewer being angry about the title of the movie, be aware that there is more to this. And even if you feel the movie has missled you, that doesn't mean it has bad intentions or has bad acting in it. It is a slow burner and therefor hard to swallow at times, adding to the teen drama and missunderstandings. But it also has some merits to it, that I hope you can see and also hope they will be able to get you to think about other people too - because that is the message - Debate, but don't forget to listen