There, he makes plenty of new nemeses, namely Dr.
After winning at the qualifying competition, Guy qualifies for the national competition. He still has one supporter in reporter Jenny Widgeon (Kathryn Hahn). Given that this grown man is competing against preteens in an academic setting, it's needless to say that Guy ruffles the feathers of a few parents and school officials by participating. He's decided to once again capitalize on his intellectual capital by competing in a qualifying competition for the Golden Quill National Spelling Bee. Guy Thirlby (Bateman) is a 40 year-old genius who dropped out of the eighth grade. In his directorial debut, Bateman tries to bring the humor. He's taking a different approach than Doug Atchison, however.
By my count, Jason Bateman's Bad Words marks only the fifth feature film about them in all of cinematic history. That's why there have been so few movies about the world of competitive spelling. After all, every film can't be Akeelah and the Bee and make the orthography of the word "xanthosis" thrilling cinematic material. It takes a strong director and an equally strong cast to pull off a movie about a bee. Spelling bees aren't the riveting stuff that make movies great. Starring Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett.Starring: Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney, Phillip Baker Hall, Ben Falcone, Rachael Harris, and Rohan Chand Her example may spell similar successes within young viewers who see this wonderful movie. As this underdog acquires the confidence to become her best self, comes to terms with the things she doesn’t have, and gains an appreciation for the things she does have, she also discovers she has a lot to give to those around her. With the exception of a few content concerns (namely some mild to moderate profanities scattered throughout the dialogue, allusions to the harsher realities of life in a rough neighborhood and the struggles of a single parent family), Akeelah and the Bee overflows with positive messages. Along the way he helps her catch a vision of who she can become and teaches her that even those with talent still have to work hard if they want to succeed. Yet she learns more than just memorization techniques from the brilliant educator who opens her eyes to the building blocks of language and how words can be used to shape the world. And although the most promising candidate, Dylan Chiu (Sean Michael), seems determined to win at any cost, deeper motivations and ethics are revealed as the story unfolds.Īs expected, Akeelah transforms from a shrinking violet into a cool-as-a-cucumber contestant under the tutelage of the professor. For instance, when Akeelah nervously attends her first real meet (her fears are creatively conveyed by clever camera work), her anxiety is set to rest by a kind gesture from a boy named Javier (J.R. Instead being cast as ruthless enemies, the various participants develop friendship and empathy for one another. These are especially evident in the way the film depicts the competitors. While a heart-warming movie about an under-privileged character discovering her inner potential and going on to great achievements may sound cliched this script contains some original elements. However, when the choice comes down to training or attending summer school, Akeelah realizes she has been bitten by the competitive bug and decides to forge her mom’s signature on the required permission form. As well, she has no support from home where her widowed mother (Angela Bassett) is overwhelmed by a fulltime job of making ends meet and dealing with wayward family members. Already teased by her peers for being a “brainiac,” the African-American girl feels out of her league in an arena filled with wealthy and predominately white kids. Larabee agrees to coach the young protege on two conditions she must stick to a strict schedule and adjust her attitude.īut Akeelah isn’t sure she wants to accept his offer. Joshua Larabee (Laurence Fishburne).Ī former university professor well acquainted with the spelling bee circuit, Dr.
Not only does that qualify her for an opportunity to participate in a citywide competition and possibly earn a spot at the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, it also attracts the attention of Dr. Encouraged by her teacher (Dalia Phillips) and arm-twisted by her principal (Curtis Armstrong), the eleven-year-old enters and wins her East Los Angeles school’s first spelling bee. Despite skipping classes and neglecting homework, she has an incredible ability to spell words. Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer) has an unusual gift.
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