The proctor asks the nervous girl to spell ?appoggiatura? in order to win a 2005 spelling bee in San Diego, CA. With sweaty palms and contemplative brow she attempts to spell this word for embellishing note in music lingo.
Akeelah and the Bee follows Akeelah Anderson, a girl who lives in Los Angeles, is an unmotivated intelligent 11 year old who is sort of an outcast bullied to do other people?s homework. She is encouraged to participate in a spelling bee by her teacher and is discovered to be an amazing speller.
Her principal, Mr. Welch, played by Curtis Armstrong, encourages her to continue, not only for her own benefit but also for what it could do for the school?s persona.
Although the crowd was sparse on Sunday, two days after opening, [April 28], the audience was still excited to see Akeelah.
Dr. Larabee, played by Laurence Fishburne, becomes Akeelah?s coach and sort of inspiration in staying strong. He turns out to be a very mistrustful, stern and yet surprisingly encouraging coach.
Akeelah struggles to fit in at the predominately rich society spelling bee. Through her time with the spelling bees she befriends a boy, Javier, played by J.R. Villarreal, who makes her feel more at ease.
Along with being part of the spelling bee she battles the effects of her father?s death on her family and especially her relationship with her mother. The pressure of trying to keep her friendship with her best friend also adds to the growing tension as well as the expectations of the entire neighborhood for her to succeed.
She eventually makes it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
Despite multiple themes throughout this movie the main seemed to be believe in ourselves, and we can accomplish great things.
This movie was greatly promoted through sweepstakes, reading challenges, and other educational programs by Starbucks, The National Education Association, Lionsgate, Spell Check, and Sylvan?s Learning Center.
Some may think that this movie did not look very appealing by its commercial but this brief introduction did not do it justice. The movie turned out to be a lot better than expected and can appeal to any age group.
For more information on Akeelah and the Bee, go online to www.akkelahandthebee.com.
