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This year more than ever, it feels like audiences desperately need more feel-good stories: books and movies that make us feel better about other people, about our world, and about life in general. And the chess drama Critical Thinking sets out to do just that.
Critical Thinking stars director John Leguizamo as Mario Martinez, a dedicated teacher at Miami Jackson High School in the ‘90s. Though he’s convinced the principal to allow him to set up a chess class—and a chess team—his classroom is generally populated with troublemakers who don’t fit in anywhere else. For some, it’s a free period. But for a handful of inner city kids, it truly matters. And when these kids surprise everyone by winning a regional tournament and moving on to the state championship, Mr. Martinez pushes his students to keep defying the odds.
What follows, then, is the story that you’re probably expecting—the one that you’ve probably seen time and time again. Critical Thinking fits pretty neatly into the typical inspirational, against-all-odds formula. It goes through the same steps, offering the same ups and downs, the same pep talks, and the same tension. That doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. There are plenty of those formulaic movies that make the formula work. Even though you know what’s coming, it still makes you want to get up and cheer for these undervalued, underestimated characters.
At times, that’s the case here, too. Mr. Martinez’s students are inner city kids who have been discounted their entire lives because of the color of their skin, or where they live, or the way they were raised. They struggle to understand why the people in history books rarely look like them. And these are the kids that you just want to prove everyone wrong: whether it’s the elitist chess tournament organizer who rolls his eyes at their arrival or the drug dealer on the street who tells them that they don’t have any better options. You’ll want them to rise above it all.
Unfortunately, though, everything here feels watered down. The characters are generally likable, but the film doesn’t explore enough of their background, their struggles, and their personalities. It shows some of the challenges they face along the way, but the conflict seems minimal. And that keeps the film from being the powerful and inspiring drama that it could be.
In a year that’s been short on good news, Critical Thinking offers an uplifting, inspiring story. But if you’re looking for a powerful, moving drama, there are others that do a much better job.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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