AKEELAH AND THE BEE
Director: Doug Atchison Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Keke Palmer, J.R.Villareal, Sean Michael
Reviewed by PETER MALONE
In recent years, American cinema has experienced something of an infatuation with spelling bees. They seem to be more of an American phenomenon than British, although the BBC recently featured a spelling competition series.
There was also the wonderful documentary which did so well at the box-office and on television, Spellbound, which followed the preparations of eight youngsters for the national championships and pulled no punches in showing how gruelling this work could be for the students – and the pressures from parents.
In 2005, Bee Season was released but, surprisingly, was not a box-office winner. Given that the cast was led by Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche, this seems strange. Given that it focused on an 11 year old girl who won the local and state competitions and went to the finals in Washington, this also seems strange.
But, when you see it (and the recommendation is that audiences catch it on television or DVD), you will understand why. There is much more to it than the spelling bees. It is a film about words and thought about words. In fact, there are also fascinating religious dimensions to the film and a lot of God talk.
Now comes Akeelah And The Bee, the story of another 11 year old who wins the local bees and goes to Washington DC for the final. This one is geared to the widest audience. It is quite emotional – even a touch tearful and, with the music, sometimes pulls at the heartstrings. But, this does not really do any harm. In fact, this is a very positive film. Inspiring is the word that is often used. It is a film about the wonders of language, about study diligence and hard work, about having confidence in oneself and striving to achieve goals.
Teachers and parents might be thankful to have a film around that encourages children to study.
The setting is south Los Angeles, not the most conducive area for serious schooling. Schools are poor and lack facilities. Students are uninterested and tease intelligent children as ‘brainiacs’. The families are not on the poverty line. In fact, many are quite comfortable, but they have hard lives, single parent families and the boys are pressured by peers to belong to gangs.
Akeelah is a bright 11 year old who still grieves for her dead father, a man who instilled in her a love of language. After initial reluctance, she enters the school bee and begins a year of preparation for the finals. The school is very supportive but her mother (Angela Bassett), busy worrying about supporting the family, is not. However, she is coached by a university professor (Laurence Fishburne), not just for recall training, but in a love and understanding of language and finding her own way of drawing on her memory.
Actually, the plot outline is quite predictable, but pleasantly so, although the ending is something of a surprise. It’s very American in sensibility, more heart on sleeve in emotion than in British stories. It’s something of a Rocky for junior students and study.
One of the best features is that the three main children are very persuasive, not the often obnoxious children we too often see on screen. Keke Palmer, in every scene, is wonderful as Akeelah, a young girl who goes through a wide range of feelings during her quest of victory. The endearingly lively J.R.Villareal becomes a good friend while Sean Michael is a credibly uptight superior student with one of the hardest of competitive fathers.
Yes, it is encouraging and inspiring.