Movie Review: Akeelah and the Bee

Good, solid family films without any hidden agendas or adult humor are difficult to come by these days. Last year, I was pleasantly surprised by the delightful Because of Winn-Dixie. This year, I’m impressed with Starbuck’s first feature film: Akeelah and the Bee.

Akeelah (Palmer) is an 11-year-old girl from Crenshaw Elementary School in Los Angeles. Since her father passed away five years before, she has felt lonely and out of place, and she hates her school. The only thing that keeps her going is her love for words. Big words. When her teacher and Principle Welsh (Armstrong) find out her ability to spell, they suggest that she enter in the district spelling bee contest. At first, Akeelah would have nothing to do with it. When she sees the National Spelling Bee Tournament on TV, the fire in her belly starts to grow. She wants a taste of what it is like to be above average. Better yet, it might be her chance to get out of Crenshaw.

Principle Welsh convinces Dr. Larabee (Fishburne), a former national spelling bee champion himself, that Akeelah has a special gift, and could put Crenshaw on the map. Larabee agrees. But Akeelah is too wild and unpredictable, not to mention her mother, Tanya (Bassett) is not at all supportive. Behind her mother’s back, Akeelah studies with Larabee and progresses to the regional contest. She becomes good friends with a rich kid, Javier (Villarreal), from Woodland Hills who is also in the contest. Her biggest competition is Dylan (Michael), a Chinese boy whose victory means everything to his stern father. When Akeelah finally makes it to the national, she feels the whole world weighing on her. She doesn’t know if she has what it takes to win.

Palmer (Barbershop 2) is extraordinary as Akeelah, and she carries the film on her tiny shoulders beautifully. Her layered, complex performance as the conflicted girl is impressive. She’s so natural that you don’t realize she is acting at all. She becomes Akeelah, and the minute you see her on screen, you believe in her. Palmer is that good. Fishburne (Assault on Precinct 13) is, as usual, solid as the solemn professor. The chemistry between Fishburne and Palmer is astounding. Their relationship is a major reason why the film works.

Article Author: Ray Wong

Ray Wong is the author the novel, The Pacific Between, which won a 2006 IPPY Book Award. He also writes movie reviews for Actors Ink and Talk Entertainment. Other credits include the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Writers Post Journal, the Deepening. …

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