LOVE AND DEBATE a.k.a. THANKS TO GRAVITY

Love and Debate is an inspiring little movie about following your heart and forging your own path in life. Jordan (Gina Philips) is a spirited young woman who has always aspired to emulate her heroes. She watches tapes of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Hillary Clinton, and dreams of one day matching their eloquence, idealism and confidence. As a skilled member of her school's debate team, she's well on her way to realizing this dream, but family pressures threaten to throw her off course.

As the child of a traditional Hispanic father and a traditional Jewish mother, Jordan finds herself caught between both worlds. The expectation is that she will settle down with a nice Jewish Hispanic boy and raise lots of lovely Jewish Hispanic children. Not only does this severely narrow the dating pool, it limits what Jordan can hope to accomplish in life. How can she ever be anything if she settles down before she has a chance to try? And even if she does break with tradition and go her own way, does she really want to forge ahead without the approval of her family?

Jordan struggles with all of these issues as she advances through high school and college. Though she is comfortable arguing a point at the podium and feels completely at home in the presence of her debate coach (Sean Astin) and fellow debate team members, Jordan's confidence wanes when it comes to her personal life. It's not until she meets Elias (Adam Rodriguez) that she begins to break out of her shell. What if she dates a boy who is Latino but not Jewish? And what if that boy encourages her to pursue her dreams as well? Jordan constantly weighs the repercussions of coloring outside the lines, only to find that the biggest consequence might be true happiness.

Love and Debate is likely to be most appealing to younger audiences, but it does a good job of addressing the hurdles we all face as young adults. For anyone wondering which road to follow, it serves as a wonderful example: the best path to choose is always your own.

DVD NOTES

DVD extras include the original theatrical trailer, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, an alternate ending, and Sendhil Ramamurthy's audition tape.