Jurnee Smollett Movies

Drawing inspiration from the true story of a temperamental debate coach who molded the students of a small East Texas college into a formidable team that gave even Harvard's elite squad a run for their money, Denzel Washington's The Great Debaters features the director himself as the ambitious educator, and Forest Whitaker as the resentful father of a student whose loyalties now lie almost exclusively with his coach. Melvin B. Tolson (Washington) is the kind of educator who truly recognizes the remarkable power of knowledge. An outspoken Wiley College professor who boldly challenged the discriminatory Jim Crow laws of the 1930s, Tolson's recognizes that his young debate students possess the spark of a new generation. Convinced that they could invoke great change if given the confidence and tools needed to do so, the tireless educator implores his students to take responsibility for the future while furtively attempting to protect them from his clandestine role as an organizer for the Southern Tenant Farmers Union. Chief among Tolson's promising young students is a 14-year-old prodigy named James Farmer, Jr. (Denzel Whitaker). Farmer's father, James Sr. (Forest Whitaker), is a renowned scholar and an important presence in the emerging student's life. Yet despite his formidable reputation, James Sr. has not yet learned how to truly harness the power of knowledge through action and assertion. James Jr. has seen the raving effects of racism all around him, and longs to live in a future where no one must be in fear simply because of the color of their skin. Other talented debaters on Tolson's team include fiercely independent student Henry Lowe (Nate Parker), and Samantha Brooke (Jurnee Smollett) -- the first ever female ever to join the Wiley College debate team. While most educators may not have recognized the remarkable potential of assembling such a disparate team, Tolson's unique vision truly set him apart from the pack as the team begins to experience a series of consecutive victories on their road to challenging Harvard at the National Championships. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A handful of inner-city kids move up to the big time in this teen-centric musical. Xavier Smith (Bow Wow), known to his friends as X, is a teenager growing up on the South Side of Chicago in the late '70s. X and his buddies are the hotshot skaters at the Palisades Gardens, a neighborhood roller rink where local kids roll to the latest disco sounds, but X loses his status as king of the hill when the Palisades closes down. With no skating action close by, X and his friends head uptown to the Sweetwater Roller Rink, where they feel like country mice in the big city among the expert skate dancers and beautiful women. But skating means a lot to X -- with his widower father, Curtis (Chi McBride) going through a bad patch, skating gives him a sense of accomplishment and a belief in his own talent. So X and company keep heading uptown to Sweetwater, where they prepare to take on Sweetness (Wesley Jonathan) and his crew of the rink's best dancers for the upcoming Roller Jam Skate-Off. X befriends a young local girl named Tori (Jurnee Smolett) and finds a good reason to go uptown when he meets a pretty skater girl, Naomi (Meagan Good). Meanwhile, Tori's mother, Vivian (Kellita Smith) takes an interest in Curtis. Featuring a score of classic '70s R&B and disco, Roll Bounce was directed by Malcolm D. Lee, who enjoyed a breakthrough hit with 2002's Undercover Brother. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A young girl learns some difficult lessons about truth, love, and fidelity in this critically-acclaimed Southern gothic drama. Eve Batiste (Jurnee Smollett) is a ten-year-old girl whose father Louis (Samuel L. Jackson) is a successful and well-liked doctor in an African-American community in Louisiana. Louis is a good father and an excellent provider, but he also has a way of attracting the ladies, and he's not inclined to turn them away. One night, the Batistes hold a party, and Eve, her older sister Cisely (Meagan Good), and their mother Roz (Lynn Whitfield) all notice that Louis is spending a great deal of time dancing with the same woman. Eve later spies her father and the woman in an embrace in the carriage house, though Louis unconvincingly claims that nothing untoward was happening. The evidence of Louis' infidelity takes a toll on the entire family: Cisely, who at age 14 is walking the middle-ground between being a girl and a woman, becomes sullen and confused about her new emotions, Roz takes out her frustrations on her loved ones, and Eve visits Elzora (Diahann Carroll), a voodoo priestess, looking for advice and possibly revenge. Meanwhile, Eve's Aunt Mozelle (Debbi Morgan), who claims to have psychic powers, arrives to stay with the family after the death of her third husband, though she isn't lonely for long after meeting the eccentric Julien Greyraven (Vondie Curtis-Hall). Eve's Bayou was the first project as writer-director for actress Kasi Lemmons; leading man Samuel L. Jackson also co-produced. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Michelle (the Olsen twins) should be jumping for joy now that her best friend Teddy has returned to San Francisco. Trouble is, Michelle now has a new best friend in the form of Denise (Jurnee Smollett). Forced to choose between Teddy and Denise, Michelle turns the situation to her advantage by demanding that both kids "buy" her undying friendship Meanwhile, Joey (David Coulier) and Roxy (Felicia Michaels) spend so much time trading wisecrack on the radio show that Jesse (John Stamos) begins to feel squeezed out. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In his second and final series appearance, Jack Kruschen returns as Jesse's beloved Greek grandfather Papouli, who pays a visit to the Tanner household. Becoming quite attached to the old man, Michelle (the Olsen twins) is devastated when Papouli suddenly dies in his sleep. As for Jesse (John Stamos), he is in the unenviable position of mollifying Michelle while struggling to deal with his own grief. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Multimillionaire Lou Bond (Keene Curtis) offers to purchase the Tanner house, in which he lived as a youth, for an astronomical price. Everyone in the household looks forward to this huge cash windfall, and to moving into brand-new homes. Only Michelle (theOlsen twins) balks at the notion of leaving San Francisco--and she's willing to go to extreme and devious lengths to keep the family together under one roof. This is the final episode of Full House's seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the opening episode of Full House's seventh season, the Tanner girls return from a fun-filled summer at Camp Lakota, only to discover that Michelle (the Olsen twins) has "borrowed" one of the camp's wild rabbits. To avoid getting into trouble, the kids go back to the camp in the dark of night to return the bunny, at which point they are trapped by a thunderstorm--and terrified by rumors of a rampaging "mud man". And back at home, a frustrated Jesse (John Stamos) and Becky (Lisa Loughlin) have quite a time persuading their twin sons to sleep by themselves. With this episode, Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit and Blake Tuomy-Wilhoit become regulars in the roles of Alex and Nicky Katsopolis. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When Steve (Scott Weinger) gives little Michelle (the Olsen twins) a heart-shaped cookie for Valentines' Day, Michelle is convinced that the teenager is madly in love with her. Amused, the family plays along with Michelle's misapprehension--which proves to be a major mistake when she dons a gown and announces her upcoming wedding. Meanwhile, Jesse (John Stamos) has quite a time using his first laptop (this is early 1993!); and Danny (Bob Saget) and Joey (David Coulier) hit upon a unique method of solving a decade-old argument about a mutual girlfriend. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Her efforts to grow up in a hurry lead to big trouble between Michelle (the Olsen twins) and Danny (Bob Saget), especially when she insists upon choosing her own wardrobe. Meanwhile, Jesse (John Stamos) persists in his efforts to renovate the Smash Club, beginning with the bathroom. The big problem: What do you do when you have too many toilets and not enough facilities? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Put in charge of directing a patriotic play for Michelle's first-grade class, Jesse (John Stamos) and Joey (David Coulier) find themselves in hot water when Michelle (played by the Olsen twins) insists upon playing Yankee Doodle. Trouble is, there's another kid in class named Derek (Blake McIver Ewing) who is far more talented. Meanwhile, Steve (Scott Weinger) is fed up with the fact that DJ (Candace Cameron) makes all the important decisions in their relationship; and Becky (Lisa Loughlin) is unhappy that Danny (Bob Saget) is monopolizing her twin sons. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi