Akeelah & the Bee (B or 3/4 stars)
Can you spell inspirational drama? Written & directed by Doug Atchison, 'Akeelah & the Bee' tells the story of Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), an 11 yr. old girl from south L.A. with a raw talent for spelling words. Against her mom's wishes (Angela Bassett), Akeelah enters some spelling contests with the help of a tutor, Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne). Also on her side is Principal Welch, & the hopeful residents in her neighborhood. Nothing is truly original about this film, some things are a bit far-fetched. But the message of the film, & the fresh enthusiasm displayed by Keke Palmer makes this a W-I-N-N-E-R.
Akeelah's life isn't peachy-keen. Dad is deceased, her brother hangs out with the wrong crowd, & her mom works several jobs. But she refuses to let the constraints of her environment hold her back from trying new things. To avoid detention, Akeelah enters a spelling bee at her principal's request and wins out of nowhere. With the sage help of Dr. Larabee (a stellar Fishburne), she can now study with proper techniques & enter the regional bee! With good placement there, she can aim for Scripps National Spelling Bee (the one seen on ESPN). But Akeelah's a finicky prodigy. She studies, but only intermittently. This causes great concern for Larabee & all those who rally behind her; all those who are proud of her; all those who want her to make a difference in her community.
Her main problem, like most 11 yr. olds, is that she's insecure. It also doesn't help that Larabee is having some personal issues, and that Akeelah doesn't have the support from her family back home. Using the interesting method of jumping rope to spell in her head, is she able to conquer her fears? Knowing that she's probably one of the few black participants in the Bee(s), can she upstage her fellow, privileged friends? Can she make a difference in her life & inspire those who are close to her? I'm sure you know the answer to these questions without seeing it. But the movie is still impresses.
Is 'Akeelah & the Bee' generic? Yes. Can you predict what will come out of the character's mouths before they say it? Probably. But where it succeeds is in the organic drama that is created by the tense pressure of a Spelling Bee. Even if we can guess where it's all heading, the 'ride' during a spelling bee is full of ups, downs, lefts & rights of intense emotions (this is captured extremely well). Keke Palmer makes this film more satisfying than it should be. She plays the loveable underdog as well as any child star. And she's the most likeable child prodigy I've ever seen (at least, I find them hard to like; maybe it's jealousy). If anything, this movie encourages children of all races & backgrounds to shoot for the stars & seek out the positives in life.
Akeelah's life isn't peachy-keen. Dad is deceased, her brother hangs out with the wrong crowd, & her mom works several jobs. But she refuses to let the constraints of her environment hold her back from trying new things. To avoid detention, Akeelah enters a spelling bee at her principal's request and wins out of nowhere. With the sage help of Dr. Larabee (a stellar Fishburne), she can now study with proper techniques & enter the regional bee! With good placement there, she can aim for Scripps National Spelling Bee (the one seen on ESPN). But Akeelah's a finicky prodigy. She studies, but only intermittently. This causes great concern for Larabee & all those who rally behind her; all those who are proud of her; all those who want her to make a difference in her community.
Her main problem, like most 11 yr. olds, is that she's insecure. It also doesn't help that Larabee is having some personal issues, and that Akeelah doesn't have the support from her family back home. Using the interesting method of jumping rope to spell in her head, is she able to conquer her fears? Knowing that she's probably one of the few black participants in the Bee(s), can she upstage her fellow, privileged friends? Can she make a difference in her life & inspire those who are close to her? I'm sure you know the answer to these questions without seeing it. But the movie is still impresses.
Is 'Akeelah & the Bee' generic? Yes. Can you predict what will come out of the character's mouths before they say it? Probably. But where it succeeds is in the organic drama that is created by the tense pressure of a Spelling Bee. Even if we can guess where it's all heading, the 'ride' during a spelling bee is full of ups, downs, lefts & rights of intense emotions (this is captured extremely well). Keke Palmer makes this film more satisfying than it should be. She plays the loveable underdog as well as any child star. And she's the most likeable child prodigy I've ever seen (at least, I find them hard to like; maybe it's jealousy). If anything, this movie encourages children of all races & backgrounds to shoot for the stars & seek out the positives in life.