Movie Review:

Akeelah and the Bee

by Lynn B

Can you spell uplifting and inspirational? This film is both..and a lot of fun as well!

Akeelah, (Keke Palmer) is a very smart eleven-year-old who just doesn’t fit in at school. She’s afraid to shine because she thinks friends will dump her if she’s too brainy. Mourning for her dad, who inspired her to achieve, Akeelah is an unhappy little girl whose overworked mom (Angela Bassett) doesn’t really have time to understand why her child is unhappy.

Winning a spelling bee at her local inner city school gets Akeelah the attention of Dr. Larrabee, a UCLA professor (Laurence Fishburne) who sees her enormous potential and agrees to coach her for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. As she enters contest after contest, Akeelah meets cute fellow contestant Javier (JR Villarreal) and they strike up a flirty friendship. The boy to beat is Dylan (Sean Michael Afable) whose whole life is concentrated on winning the Nationals. Akeelah has to get her mom on her team and ends up helping Larrabee cope with his own personal loss while she galvanizes her whole community to join hands and root for her victory.

You will immediately get behind Akeelah because she is played so well by young Keke Palmer who holds her own in tough scenes with imposing actor Laurence Fishburne of “Matrix” fame. Fishburne is wonderful as a tortured soul that is basically “saved” by his relationship with his young student. Angela Bassett as Akeelah’s tightly wound, struggling mom, is amazing as well. All the supporting players including JR Villarreal as Javier and Sean Michael Afable and Dylan stand out and add humor and pathos to this film.

Sure, there is a certain “underdog” formula to the film that makes it predictable but you just don’t care. You root for young Akeelah to succeed against all odds and who said that spelling bees can’t be exciting? You’ll end up on the edge of your seat as you root for Akeelah to get the next huge word right! You’ll also get a kick out of her interaction with the other spellers and the kids at her school. The film has humor, a tiny romance and a super big heart.

Go see this uplifting, warm-hearted film and get inspired! Know that one person can make a difference, not only in their own life but for the whole community. Then, go out there and make that person… you!

 

This movie is rated PG

Official Movie Web Site - Akeelah and the Bee

Pictures courtesy of and copyright Lionsgate Films, 2006