Opening

86% Star Trek Into Darkness May 16
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60% Oz the Great and Powerful $1.1M

Coming Soon

—— The Hangover Part III May 23
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Spellbound (2002)

tomatometer

98

Average Rating: 8.2/10
Reviews Counted: 136
Fresh: 133 | Rotten: 3

A suspenseful, gripping documentary that features an engaging cross section of American children.

97

Average Rating: 8.1/10
Critic Reviews: 33
Fresh: 32 | Rotten: 1

A suspenseful, gripping documentary that features an engaging cross section of American children.

audience

80

liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 10,663

My Rating

Movie Info

Eight youngsters vie for one of the most hotly contested academic awards in the United States in this documentary. Every spring, the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee attracts students from all over the United States, and filmmaker Jeff Blitz follows eight promising entrants as they journey to Washington, D.C., in hopes of claiming the national championship and a 10,000-dollar prize. Neil Kadakia, from California, has spent months training for the event with the help of his parents, computer

G,

Documentary, Special Interest

Jan 20, 2004

$5.5M

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All Critics (145) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (137) | Rotten (3) | DVD (15)

Witty, poignant and suspenseful.

July 21, 2003 Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee
Sacramento Bee
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Spellbound is not a great piece of filmmaking, but it is more entertaining than you might expect from a story whose heroes are all brainiacs.

July 16, 2003
Arizona Republic
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Spellbound finds its thrills with nary a chase scene nor a quick cut; it's a simple and utterly gripping story about kids, words and a microphone.

June 27, 2003
Seattle Times
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When a child stands at the microphone and frantically writes invisible letters on her hand, we can't help but love each and every one of these people.

June 13, 2003 Full Review Source: Denver Post
Denver Post
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A genuinely charming and often funny documentary about the high-pressured world of competitive spelling.

June 13, 2003
Denver Rocky Mountain News
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Whatever else it may be, this is also a film about being young, hopeful and focused.

June 6, 2003
Orlando Sentinel
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Families should see this m-a-r-v-e-l-o-u-s film.

December 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media

...an effervescently charming film

January 29, 2005 Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

It expands as it goes until, by the end, it presents a hopeful overview of American life. It's a wonderful movie.

July 6, 2004 Full Review Source: F5 (Wichita, KS)

One of the words that came up in the competition was hellebore - which was ironic, because it was exactly at that point that I realized I was hella bored with this film

June 1, 2004 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com
eFilmCritic.com

A tribute to old-fashioned virtues of hard work, education, competition — and good spelling in a spellchecker age.

March 2, 2004 Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide
Decent Films Guide

"Spellbound" puts you in the middle of the stressful chaos that is the National Spelling Bee.

March 1, 2004

Has no right to be this insanely involving.

February 26, 2004 Full Review Source: Window to the Movies
Window to the Movies

Audience Reviews for Spellbound

im glad i only won the school spelling bee and not the regionals because i would probably be one of the hopeless nerds on this dvd
August 20, 2009
LoughnerWasLucid

Super Reviewer

The hardships and stifes of the American Spelling Bee contestant are exemplified in this grueling documentary chronicling the climb and competitive drive of some of America's most intelligent and note worthy spellers ever.
December 9, 2008
FrizzDrop

Super Reviewer

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Foreign Titles

  • Spellbound (2003) (DE)
  • Spellbound (2003) (CA)
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