Resolved (2007)

Director:

Greg Whiteley

Writer:

Greg Whiteley (writer)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

The fascinating complexity of high school debate gives way to a portrait of the equally complex racial...

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Samuel Alito	...	Samuel Alito
Louis Blackwell	...	Louis Blackwell
Jon Bruschke	...	Jon Bruschke
Matthew Edwards	...	Matthew Edwards
Richard Funches	...	Richard Funches
Sam Iola	...	Sam Iola
Juan Williams	...	Juan Williams
David Wiltz	...	David Wiltz

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some strong language and teen smoking.

Runtime:

USA:91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:PG-13

Company:

One Potato Productions

I'm Stunned by Jim Crotty's Comments, Whiteley's Movie is a Rare Gem

I am stunned at the comment about this movie posted by Jim Crotty. Has he even seen this film? I have and I can say it is pure genius . . . not even close to the knock-off that Crotty makes it out to be. Whiteley earned his street cred with the thoroughly original New York Doll (Sundance) and has outdone himself with his latest documentary, which has received glowing reviews (Variety, the Hollywood Reporter and Cinema Without Borders to name a few).

In Resolved, Whiteley uses high school debate—a world that is fascinating in its own right—as a vehicle to explore the equally fascinating lives of a handful of kids who participate in debate. The struggles (with life in general and with the debate community) of two inner city debaters from Long Beach Jordan High School are the heart of the film. Has Crotty even met these kids? If he claims that Whiteley stole his idea to follow these two kids, then he might have a point but his posting seems to suggest that he thinks he has a monopoly on documentaries about inner-city kids that debate, which is a truly audacious claim.

It does seem coincidental that Whiteley also named his pic Resolved but, as a former debater, this shouldn't surprise anyone since, as I recall, the first word spoken in every high school debate round is "Resolved." There is so much more to Whiteley's film than the name. If Crotty has a great film about debate in the works, I would love to see it and am not terribly concerned about what he calls it. As for Whiteley's film, it is as gripping and authentic as they come.

Perhaps we can get Whiteley to chime in on how he arrived at the name?