Changing the World, one word at a time. Review on Akeelah and the Bee Movie

Changing the World, one word at a time.....''

Written and directed by Doug Atchison, Akeelah and the Bee is a great inspirational movie about an eleven-year-old girl who comes from a heartbroken family in a Southern Los Angeles. Akeelah is a young black girl, struggling to be noticed, to fit in. Her peers berate her because she is smart and craves attention from her mother. Akeelah has a gift for spelling, which she learned while coping with the recent and tragic death of her father.

When Akeelah is asked by her teacher and principal (Curtis Armstrong) to participate in the school spelling bee, she is not at all enthusiastic but to her amazement she wins and progresses on to the championships in Washington, DC. With the help of her spelling Coach, Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne) she not only learns to spell like a master but also learns strength in herself. She is motivated and ambitious as she gains confidence, competing among the best and making friends along the way. She also unites her estranged family and friends from the neighborhood, who are excited about the possibility of her impending success. She changes from an unmotivated girl to one of great success and promise.

Angela Bassett, who plays Akeelah’s mother, Tanya, gives a great performance. She is a recent widow who struggles to maintain her sanity and keep her family going as best she can. Akeelah’s focus on what is good in her life comes from her memories of her father, who was also a great speller and scrabble player.

Akeelah’s brothers and sister also provide support to their younger sister and just before the championship all pull together and help her learn over five thousand new words. It is the common desire to see her succeed that is the bond that unites the family. She has more than one coach, she has many coaches that support her.

With a plausible plot, the movie also has a great supporting cast, none of whom are so well known as Bassett and Fishburne. Keke Palmer is superb as Akeelah. She depicts the stress of spelling bee, the ambiguous and volcanic emotions of a pre-teen as well as captures the naïve side of the young girl with little self esteem and venturing out into the real world. She shows the depth that the character of Akeelah is meant to have. Especially endearing is Akeelah’s friend, Javier (J.R. Villareal), who lives in the wealthy part of town, Woodland Hills. Javier shows such great unexpected kindness and support to the struggling girl but Akeelah sees no difference between them other than their address because she only knows her own neighborhood. Javier has a sensational sense of humor, while in contrast, Dylan (Sean Michael) is constantly chastised by his father to be the Champion at all costs and is very snobbish to Akeelah in his drive to be number one. The final scene between these three main contenders is quite exceptional. I held my breadth as each contender spelled his/her championship word. With each moment, I felt tense as tears welled up in my eyes, not out of fear and sadness but from great pride. Inspiration is what makes this movie so exceptional and that is where the deepest emotions come from.

As an added bonus, the soundtrack is extraordinary with some great R&B tracks that really accent the mood of the film. The screenplay and direction are so fantastic, the viewer really gets a real glimpse into the life and point of view of each character. We feel the emotions and understand the story of each character just by the scene that each contributes, some in simple glimpses into their lives that are also connected to Akeelah. There are also some deep lessons to learn in life. Privilege. Loss. Competition. Sportsmanship. And appreciation. Such stress comes from this type of tournament that contestants have actually fainted. ESPN televises the championship because of the interest in this “sport.”

This is really and truly a great inspiration movie for all ages. It is far from predictable and interesting from the beginning to the end, which comes with few surprises but all expectations are met. Whether spelling is in your vocabulary or not, the message from this film is not lost.