“Akeelah” is H-E-A-R-T-W-A-R-M-I-N-G

“Akeelah and the Bee”
Lionsgate Films
Directed by Doug Atchison
Starring Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Curtis Armstrong, JR Villarreal and Sean Michael Afable
Rated PG

3 ½ Stars

I was short-changed back in my early school days. I seem to recall that the spelling bees at my school were tediously boring affairs. Yet according to the movies “Spellbound,” “Bee Season.” and now “Akeelah and the Bee,” it turns out that spelling bees are actually thrilling contests that will keep participants and spectators on the edge of their seats and provide some nice moral lessons as well.

Trust me, that’s not how it was at Tooele Jr. High.

Still, despite the narrative license, there’s something intensely appealing about “Akeelah and the Bee.” Keke Palmer anchors the film as Akeelah, an eleven-year-old underachiever who’s worried that her friends will abandon her if they think that she’s a brainiac. Enter Dr. Larrabee, the UCLA professor (Laurence Fishburne) who sees the potential in Akeelah, and helps her find the discipline and the courage to pursue the Scripps National Spelling Bee all the way to the Washington DC Finale.

Director Doug Atchison plays the whole thing like one of those conventional sports movies, where the coach and the star athlete/speller struggle through every obstacle, only to improbably win the big game at the end. So while there are a few too many plot coincidences and a few of the characters are stereotypically drawn, you’ll still be cheering for Akeelah right up until the end of the film.

Kudos to young Keke Palmer, who turns in a spirited yet completely natural title performance that draws you in precisely because she’s just like all those other eleven-year-olds you see around town. Kudos to Fishburne and the always-dependable Angela Basset who put their star wattage aside so that the young girl at the heart of the film could shine. Kudos to JR Villarreal who gives the film a lot of humor in the role of Akeelah’s prepubescent boyfriend. And while I’m at it, I can’t describe how cool is it to find out that Booger from “Revenge of the Nerds” is now a South Central LA school principal and Crabman from “My Name is Earl” moonlights as a gangsta with a heart of gold.

The bottom line is that “Akeelah and the Bee” is a feel-good genre film with a nice message about the importance of community and the idea that brainpower can be truly liberating. It’s an exciting, family-friendly film that’s filled with great performances. In a word: “Akeelah” is H-E-A-R-T-W-A-R-M-I-N-G.


Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published Wednesdays and Fridays in “The Port Arthur News” and he can be heard weekly on KOLE and KVIC Radio. For more reviews, log on to www.seanthemovieguy.com. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@kavutv.com.