Akeelah and the Bee Reviews and Ratings


  • annettukamushaba
    November 19, 2008
    annettukamushaba
    Very entertaining and motivating esp for those still in school.
  • mystarr11
    November 14, 2008
    mystarr11
    really cool! when i can be lik that?? be the best speller?? hahha
  • amberchilson2323
    November 13, 2008
    amberchilson2323
    very good i like this one alot
  • marjdomingo1
    October 31, 2008
    marjdomingo1
    Inspiring, good cast ensemble, a story on one child's aspiration and dedication to defy the odds becoz she knows she has what it takes to be great!
  • vollyballchic96
    October 16, 2008
    vollyballchic96
    pretty good but a bit sad
  • SporkLove
    October 1, 2008
    SporkLove
    better the expected!
  • cocoprincess18
    September 27, 2008
    cocoprincess18
    a very good inspiration movie
  • soundgardenman
    September 24, 2008
    soundgardenman
    With its warmth and enchanting story, "Akeelah and the Bee" proves to be one of the strongest movies of 2006. Keke Palmer is graceful as Akeelah Anderson and Angela Basset and Laurence Fishburne are excellent as always. The screenplay is a bit cheesy but the structure is very wel...( read more)l constructed and developed. Writer/ Director Doug Atchison created a rock-solid work, turning a tired sports plot/ scenario into a brilliant achievement.
  • PlunderousGambler
    September 19, 2008
    PlunderousGambler
    This was an awesome movie! I enjoyed every moment of it, from start to finish.
  • rfrandy
    September 12, 2008
    rfrandy
    it is ok but i did sleep in it for a bit.
  • hoodqueen
    September 12, 2008
    hoodqueen
    i want 2 spell like dat
  • sfarquhar1
    September 9, 2008
    sfarquhar1
    great story i love this movie such a great story and the little girl was so good and laurence fishburne very underrated actor was great i would have like the ending to be a little different not sure if it happen that way in real life but i would like to have it finsh a little better
  • denyal1967
    August 29, 2008
    denyal1967
    I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS MOVIE!!
  • jessyne0
    August 28, 2008
    jessyne0
    it has got very good ending..and nice story line.. Evry one has to watch it
  • shekabhi
    August 28, 2008
    shekabhi
    It z too good.. Excellent ending ...the pace went smooth from the start of movie..Every one has to watch!! Road path to success--
  • 71145bst
    August 24, 2008
    71145bst
    i love being in the spelling bee i got like 5th place in state! i really loved this movie it was so inspirational
  • ladiesman99
    August 22, 2008
    ladiesman99
    i love this movie so much..damn
  • vashtiturtle
    August 7, 2008
    vashtiturtle
    I think this movie has a great message!
  • booperduck
    August 6, 2008
    booperduck
    This was actually really good. I was getting sick of all the football themed underdog movies, this was a nice change!
  • TheMDogg
    July 26, 2008
    TheMDogg
    Pretty predictable, but a good story
  • latashamcurtis
    July 24, 2008
    latashamcurtis
    I really liked this movie. It took me back to my fourth grade spelling bee when I missed (of all words) EMBARRASS. I wasn't sure if it had 1 R or 2, but after that day, I NEVER forgot again. LOL. But anyway...

    I like this movie because of the way he cultivates her sharp li...( read more)ttle mind and pushes her even when she pushes back. The strength of his character brought a guidance to her life that she really didn't have. Although her mom was there, with him, she knew she now had someone who cared about things she cared about...and somehow that's validating.

    It's a GREAT mentor movie of how simply being you can inspire some else to be all they can be....even when they don't yet know who THAT is!
  • YourFaceCharLene
    July 19, 2008
    YourFaceCharLene
    Really Good showing everyone has talent [no matter what it was-spelling] even coming from hard families and living through life
  • chaper92
    July 18, 2008
    chaper92
    great movie for kids
  • bluem00n94
    July 15, 2008
    bluem00n94
    a realy good movie i enjoyed it so much
  • EarthlyAlien
    July 14, 2008
    EarthlyAlien
    Dr. Larabee: "Where do you think big words come from?
    Akeelah: People with big brains?"

    11-year old Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer) has a gift for words. It's probably genetic: her dad (who was shot to death when she was a little girl) played scrabble, probably with...( read more) expertise. Ever since her dad's death, she, and her two brothers, have been kept alive by her overworking mother (Angela Bassett). The gift for words isn't exactly a blessing to Akeelah. She usually gets A's in her spelling tests; A's she would quickly hide out of embarrassment. Crenshaw, her South L.A. public school, isn't really the school where you can brag your intellectual achievements. Mediocrity pervade the educational system; bullies would terrorize those who achieve or mock at any notion that someone is excelling in something.

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    Akeelah and the Bee is the story of Akeelah's journey from being the closet gifted speller to the champion of the Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington D.C.. The story isn't exactly original. You've seen it before, in many different shapes. The Sister Act films showed unlikely chorale singers succeed to impress non-believers. Director Ron Howard has a few of these films under his belt (most of which would win numerous awards): A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man. Like all the cited films, Akeelah would have to face all the adversities (her lower middle-class neighbourhood, her bullies, her rapper-wannabe brother, the Korean-American rival) in her life to reach her goals.

    Of course, she doesn't do it alone. She gets help from university professor Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne) who is also hiding a painful tragedy in his life. In one of the spelling bee competitions, she meets Javier (J. R. Villareal), overly friendly spelling bee competitor and Latino lover-in-the-making. It's all very formulaic which might be the reason why it's also quite harmless as opposed to the other fictional spelling bee films released after the hit doc Spellbound (Jeffrey Blitz, 2002). Akeelah and the Bee seems very safe and trite in comparison.

    Everything falls into place. Director Doug Atchison knows his material is Hallmark-quality fluff and directs it as such. The film looks satisfyingly polished. There's an abundance of generic preachiness; the film quotes a lot from Mandela and Dr. Larabee seems persistent on incorporating greatness in the simplicity of spelling and word deconstruction. It all feels very fuzzy and nice. The niceness is upped by Keke Palmer's surprisingly good performance (if a little girl upstages Fishburne and Bassett, you do know she's special or that the screenplay has been unfairly underwritten for the supporting cast).

    Overall, Akeelah and the Bee is embarrassingly cute - spelling bees, little kids stealing kisses from little girls, whole neighbourhoods (the gang-banger neighbourhood, at that) rallying behind the unlikely champion. Atchison seems to want something deeper from the entire bee business, but his sugar-coated confection can barely rise beyond its genre to say anything out of the ordinary. Still very much worthy.
  • couponsgalore2004
    July 13, 2008
    couponsgalore2004
    This was such an encouraging movie ~ of what a child was willing to do to succeed...and how her mom came around.
  • MsMeda19
    July 1, 2008
    MsMeda19
    It was a great movie... and I personally loved it!!!
  • flygurljay0518
    June 30, 2008
    flygurljay0518
    Good movie it teacjes the kids today that anything is possible
  • pinkvanidotcom
    June 17, 2008
    pinkvanidotcom
    too much spelling... and I can't spell.
  • VanillaInMyCoffee
    June 10, 2008
    VanillaInMyCoffee
    Such an inspirational film. You will find yourself cheering for Akeelah as she soars higher and higher.
  • kittygal90
    June 10, 2008
    kittygal90
    Its super motivating! Worth watching.
  • suesue88
    June 8, 2008
    suesue88
    good movie wonderful young upcoming actress.
  • haania
    June 7, 2008
    haania
    wow tuff but totally kewl
  • jfish4466
    June 6, 2008
    jfish4466
    This was a wonderful movie. The girl who played Akeelah, Keke Palmer, was amazing in her role. Laurence Fishburne gives another strong performance as Akeelah's coach. If you are in the mood for a feel good movie then watch this.
  • allisonwright2011
    June 4, 2008
    allisonwright2011
    sounds soooo good to see!!!!
  • zachattac94
    June 1, 2008
    zachattac94
    I loved this movie! Parts were funny and parts were boring but overall, it was great.
  • sheanatia
    May 30, 2008
    sheanatia
    this was just a great movie....love the acting and the storyline was great.

Summary

Akeelah and the Bee Summary