It is not long after I watch a movie that I sit down to write a review.  I try not to let much time pass because I want my memory of what I had seen to still be fresh.  One thing I do most of the time before I start jotting down my thoughts is to play a game of chess.  I am, at best, an average player, though a persistent one.  I also do not study the game.  However, it does interest me, as do most films that have been made about it.  Indeed, I cannot think of a movie on the subject that I have not enjoyed, and I particularly liked the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit (2020) in spite of some of its questionable material.  This is all a long way of explaining why I chose today’s flick, Critical Thinking (2020).

What is not immediately apparent with Critical Thinking is that it is based on a true story, though the fact that it set in the late 1990s in Miami is a clue.  There would be little other reason to have so specific of a time and place otherwise, though The Queen’s Gambit does contradict this point.  Anyway, Critical Thinking follows a group of inner-city youths who attend Miami Jackson High School.  What this means is that I will be introducing the characters as needed, as is my usual modus operandi in dealing with ensemble casts, though the focus is on four.  They all are in the eponymous course taught by Mario “Mr. T” Martinez (John Leguizamo), and the way he attempts to improve their cognitive functions is by showing them how to play chess.  Mr. T is practically the only person, outside of the students themselves, that believes in them.  This includes the school’s principal, Ms. Kestel (Rachel Bay Jones), who dumps into this elective class students who misbehave.  Of Mr. T’s pupils, the most focused is Sedrick Roundtree (Corwin Tuggles).  His father, Mr. Roundtree (Michael K. Williams), taught his son to play chess, but uses the game to intimidate the teenager because he is still hurting from the death of his wife, Sedrick’s mom.  The desire to finally beat his dad is what drives Sedrick, particularly when it comes time for their team to enter into tournaments.  To form the strongest core of players, he is also mature enough to know that he must put aside his differences with a peer he had previously punched for stepping on his shoes: Gil Luna (Will Hochman).  Sedrick is successful in this endeavor, and they go on to win their local tournament as a team.  This success is nice, but they still have the problems associated with their lives outside of school.  This is particularly true for Ito Paniagua (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.).  Remember that troublemaker that is dropped off in Mr. T’s class?  A fight almost breaks out between this student and Ito in class, though Mr. T is able to calm the situation.  Later that day, that same student is walking down the street when he bumps into a woman, who takes offense at this inadvertent physical contact.  At this moment, Andre Lamar (Ramses Jimenez), a local drug dealer, springs from his car and murders the kid.  Ito knows who the perpetrator is, but refuses to tell the police, despite being pressured by them and Mr. T.  Also, with their success in the local tournament, it means that they have earned the right to go on to the regional competition.  However, this means more money, funds the school is not willing to spend on students they deem to be a problem.  Principal Kestel offers them the solution of using those old candy bar fundraisers.  The teens attempt to improve on the product by lacing it with marijuana, which does not make Mr. T happy.  Instead, he decides to put forward his own money for them to go.  Yet again, they emerge victorious, continuing to prove their detractors wrong.  This also comes with an invitation to the state tournament, which means they will have to come up with even more money.  Once more, it is time to invent ways of meeting their goals.  Their first idea is to go to a local park and hustle people with public chess games.  This task mainly falls on the shoulders of the loud mouthed Rodelay Medina (Angel Bismark Curiel).  Their dreams of making some quick dollars are dashed when he is matched against Marcel Martinez (Jeffry Batista), a recent immigrant from Cuba and a bonafide chess grand master.  Luckily, he is eligible for high school, and Sedrick persuades Marcel to join their team. This happens as Ito is forced to make other decisions about his future, particularly when he is kicked out of his house for sneaking off to the regional tournament.  This brings him into Andre’s sphere of influence, and soon Ito is a street criminal instead of attending school.  His teammates are able to convince him to come to the state tournament, which they are able to fundraise for by hosting a car wash that receives attention from the local news.  That media coverage also brings with it a corporate sponsor for their endeavors.  Thus, it is with a measure of pride that Principal Kestel informs Mr. T that if they are able to bring home the state championship, they will be fully funded to go to the national competition in Los Angeles.  Unfortunately, they lose.  Just kidding!  The actual unfortunate thing is that Ito gets into an altercation with Andre, and is unable to be with his teammates on the West Coast.  The national stage sees Marcel go all the way to the final match against the top-ranked teenage player in the country, Akopyan (Brandon Somers).  At one point in their game, Akopyan asks for a draw, incentivizing it by reminding Marcel that accepting this means they will share the national title.  Marcel refuses, saying that his team needs the victory and the point in order to win the tournament.  This happens and everyone is happy.  The final scenes show you the real people on which this is based as the end credits roll.

Chess is a highly competitive game, and this is something that Critical Thinking does not hide.  As a child, my dad always described it as a game of war.  At the same time, it can have a less abrasive side, such as the ability of two players to draw.  There are many metaphors that can be drawn from this outcome, and others that are made during the movie.  Given their upbringing and their lives outside of school, the desire to win every match is ingrained in them.  This goes against a lesson Mr. T attempts to give them, which is that a tie is not necessarily a bad things because it means there are no winners or losers.  Another point their teacher brings up is that material advantage, meaning having better and/or more pieces than your opponent, will not necessarily ensure victory.  It speaks to a passage in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 3:19, which says, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God.”  In their own ways, each of the main four have to unlearn what they think is the wisdom of their surroundings, particularly Ito, who believes he must give up chess for a life of crime.  Mr. T’s consistent message is that there is more to be aspired to, and that the game is one way of reaching it.  It also feeds into the notion of a draw being a positive outcome, because it is something that can work for the benefit of the team.  At the very least, it avoids a negative outcome.  An argument can be made that this kind of thinking guides Marcel’s ultimate victory.  While gaining the individual championship is nice, he seems more concerned with getting his friends the share of the team championship, which is made possible by him beating his opponent.  Christianity seeks the good of others, and this message is found in the movie.

I will admit that if you do not enjoy chess, Critical Thinking might not be for you.  I did not expect the entire thing to be about the game.  Judging by the title, I thought it would focus more on teaching potentially misguided youth how to use their brains more than their brawn.  Either way, it is a film worth watching.