Lite’s Review Room – DIFF: “Thank You For Judging”

April 19, 2012 11:30 AM

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With the Dallas International Film Festival in town we’ve been seeing a lot of movies. Here is a look at “Thank You For Judging”.

Thank You For Judging

Texas is known for its competitive spirit, and in Texas, there is a competition for just about everything. Actor Michael Urie comes home to Plano to follow a group of incredibly talented teenagers as they compete in a unique form of speech competition called oral interpretation in the wonderful documentary Thank You For Judging.

You are almost immediately drawn in to cheer for these students as they train, compete, perform, and shine in 10-minute one-person performances, sometimes playing more than one character themselves. No matter your age, you are transported back to high school and feel the hope and anxiety as the documentary follows the students from North Texas area high schools to the Texas State Finals. The talent of each of the students shines brightly and as an audience member, you find yourself riding the roller coaster along with each of them as they perform and advance.

In a state where everyone focuses on athletic competition, you learn that each of these students trains, works, and performs so much harder than the jocks on the field. As an audience member, you wonder where was this fun and challenging competition when you yourself were a high school student. Thank You For Judging is brilliant documentary that not only has you cheering and applauding these kids, but it also draws attention to the plight of fine arts education in Texas and makes you want to do something about it.

- Leslie Hurst, The New 103.7 Lite FM