Although Greg Whiteley's HBO-aired documentary focuses on two high school debate teams—one from a privileged Dallas campus and the other from an inner-city California school—Resolved is no predictable triumph-of-the-underdog tale. Combining archival footage with clever animation, the film initially looks at the transformation of debate over the last few decades—from a carefully reasoned rhetorical contest into a verbal battle called “the Flow,” in which participants (sounding like auctioneers) rattle off information at such extreme velocity that it's barely intelligible. Within this context, Resolved looks at the unusual team of Sam Iola and Matt Andrews from well-endowed Highland Park High School in Texas, the former a class underachiever but a dynamo in “Flow” debate and the latter a brilliant sophomore who's leaped over upperclassmen for his spot on the debate squad. Iola and Andrews are juxtaposed with Louis Blackwell and Richard Funches, even unlikelier partners from financially-strapped Jordan High in Long Beach, who adopt the lost strategy of actually debating the factual merits of their case, while also attacking the “Flow” method of presentation. Along the way, Resolved features testimonials about the value of debate from such past practitioners as Samuel Alito, Juan Williams, and Jane Pauley. An engrossing treatment of a surprisingly fascinating subject, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)
Resolved
(2008) 90 min. DVD: $27.98. Image Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Volume 24, Issue 4
Resolved
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