Spellbound (2002)

98% of critics liked it
(135 reviews)
81% of users liked it
(10,444 ratings)

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… More 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 tutorials, and professional coaches. Angela Arenivar grew up in a small Texas town with her parents, who immigrated to America from Mexico; Angela's skills as a speller are self-taught, a remarkable achievement since her parents speak English only with great difficulty. Nupur Lala is determined to go to the finals in the 1999 competition, even though three boys from her Florida Junior High are determined to stop her. Ted Brigham grew up in a rural Missouri community where his intelligence has made him stick out like a sore thumb; both Ted and his teachers hope the National Spelling Bee will give him a chance to prove his gifts to his peers. Ashley White lives in a housing project in Washington, D.C., and has risen to the spelling championships largely through the help of her teachers and her own determination. April DeGideo comes from a low-income family in Pennsylvania and is determined to use the Spelling Bee as a stepping stone to a better life. Emily Stagg comes from a wealthy Connecticut family and manages to squeeze her study for the Spelling Bee in between riding lessons and practicing with her choral group. And Harry Altman, from New Jersey, wavers between joy and agony as he makes his way through the competition. Spellbound won the Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2003 South by Southwest Film Festival, and received a nomination in the same category at the 2003 Academy Awards. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: Jeffrey Blitz
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Mar 14, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Jan 20, 2004
Studio: ThinkFilm

Critic Reviews

Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
Witty, poignant and suspenseful.
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic
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.
Michael Booth, Denver Post
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.
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
A genuinely charming and often funny documentary about the high-pressured world of competitive spelling.
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
Whatever else it may be, this is also a film about being young, hopeful and focused.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
An unpretentious classic of the form.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Families should see this m-a-r-v-e-l-o-u-s film.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...an effervescently charming film
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)
It expands as it goes until, by the end, it presents a hopeful overview of American life. It's a wonderful movie.
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com
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
Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films Guide
A tribute to old-fashioned virtues of hard work, education, competition — and good spelling in a spellchecker age.
Mark Robison, Reno Gazette-Journal
"Spellbound" puts you in the middle of the stressful chaos that is the National Spelling Bee.
Jeffrey Chen, Window to the Movies
Has no right to be this insanely involving.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Spencer S

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.
Anthony L

A nice simple documentary following some interesting kids. I can?t help but think that maybe it?s all a little sugar coated though, some of the parents seem to get away with being very pushy, verging on child abuse at times!
Jason S

A good watch. Most of the kids involved are fun to learn about except for the one who talks a hundred miles an hour and has to be one of the most annoying kids in the world. Well made and really gets you into the hype.
El Hombre I

ENGAGNG DOCUMENTARY TAHT RILLY SHOWS DA HEART CHILDRAN POUR OUT IN2 THEYRE SPALNG BA COMP3TITION!!11!!11 OMG WTF AVERY KID SI A CHARACT3R!1!1!!11 OMG IM ABLE 2 R3LAET WIT TH3SE KIDS ON A P3RSONAL LAVEL B/C I WAS ONCE A SPELNG BA CHMP AND AS A R3SULT WAS ABLE 2 SE KENY ROGERS IN… More
ENGAGNG DOCUMENTARY TAHT RILLY SHOWS DA HEART CHILDRAN POUR OUT IN2 THEYRE SPALNG BA COMP3TITION!!11!!11 OMG WTF AVERY KID SI A CHARACT3R!1!1!!11 OMG IM ABLE 2 R3LAET WIT TH3SE KIDS ON A P3RSONAL LAVEL B/C I WAS ONCE A SPELNG BA CHMP AND AS A R3SULT WAS ABLE 2 SE KENY ROGERS IN CONC3RT FOR FRE AND MET CAROL BURNAT
Jennifer X

adorable movie. i love harry.
Megan S

Pretty good movie. Though it didn't hold my attention enough to bother watching the extra footage of three other kids. I swear they just made some of those words up.
Drew S

Akeelah and the Bee can screw off. Reality defeats fiction here.
Luke B

This film is great. Following 8 completely different kids as they compete to win the National Spelling Bee. It is both funny and heart warming, as the kids take the Bee so seriously. It never pokes fun at them, but rather celebrates their hard work and individuality. You begin to get… More
This film is great. Following 8 completely different kids as they compete to win the National Spelling Bee. It is both funny and heart warming, as the kids take the Bee so seriously. It never pokes fun at them, but rather celebrates their hard work and individuality. You begin to get caught up and will have fingers crossed for the kids. Tense, funny and very much worthwhile.
Nate Z

[center][font=Arial][color=darkred][img]http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/922/movieimage9ox.jpg[/img][/color][/font][/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The field of super spellers heading to Washington D.C. is more varied than you could… More
[center][font=Arial][color=darkred][img]http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/922/movieimage9ox.jpg[/img][/color][/font][/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The field of super spellers heading to Washington D.C. is more varied than you could possibly imagine. What is truly amazing, and equally heart-rending, are the scenes showing lower-class families encourage their children to excellence. Angela’s parents fled Mexico to give a better life for their family in Texas. Her father has been a rancher for 30 years and does not speak a word of English. It’s incredible to see the amount of pride her parents have when they see her compete. She says she’s doing it for them. Ashley lives in the projects outside of Washington D.C. She exudes confidence as she makes long treks from school to the cramp apartment her family lives in. Her mother had never expected her child, from her background, to compete for spelling contests but becomes her biggest and most vocal cheerleader.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Spellbound also shows the fanatical level of commitment some of these kids have. Neil’s father pushes his son to the extremes and the two go over 4,000-8,000 words a day. Neil’s parents even hire a spelling coach and he gets instruction from his school’s foreign language teachers on the history and spelling of foreign words. The commitment most of these kids show is jaw-dropping and obsessive. Ted is the exact opposite. He’s so nonchalant about the spelling bees that it almost seems like he’s battling complacency in his small town. His younger brother has the film’s best line: "It was so exciting. If I had blood pressure it’d be through the roof!"[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]My favorite speller is April. She and her parents live in a dying town. Her father worked in a asbestos factory until it was shut down. He now operates a tavern across from the decaying factory. The family struggles to get by but has so much visible love for their daughter, so much undying support for April. I saw April’s parents as the type you might be embarrassed to say something weird to your friends ("Mom, you are so out of it, geez.") but the same type that you secretly thank everyday you have. April declares herself a pessimist and doubts the distance she’ll go in the national bee. This is the kind of instantly likeable and compelling character Hollywood has forgotten how to create.With all respects to Michael Moore, he does not make documentaries. He makes one-sided arguments. This is fine, and I appreciate his efforts and usually find them pretty entertaining, but what he does should not be considered a "documentary," at least as an accurate representation of real-life. And part of me also says this because I’ve seen the [b]REAL[/b] best documentary of 2002 with Spellbound, a film following eight kids and their journeys to the 1999 National Spelling Bee.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=#8b0000][/color][/font] [center][img]http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/6159/movieimage0cj.jpg[/img][/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred]With Spellbound we get to know our hopefuls so well that we’re saddened before the national bee even begin because, at best, only one of them will win. And, as corny as it sounds, they are all exemplary examples of winners.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Spellbound is the most thrilling movie I’ve seen in ages, totally walloping the heady pretensions of certain action movies. This film will make your palms sweat and then some. Your heart races wildly when it isn’t in your throat. Several films like The Sweet Hereafter or American History X have brought me to tears through their adept expressions of sadness; Spellbound may be the first film that’s ever brought me to tears (about five times) just for pure vicarious happiness and joy. To see these kids achieve will, and I know this is so cheesy and blurb-y, but it will make your spirit soar and want to cheer. I've since watched the film several times on DVD, and I must report how surprised I am that I end up crying every time, though at different spots. This is a joyous movie, pure and simple.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Spellbound is an uplifting movie for everyone that is guaranteed to have some lasting, triumphant resonance. If you can’t feel for these kids I suggest you check if your heart is defective. This is a great example of what film can do, what the American dream can mean for people, and the great diversity an academic competition can inspire. Spellbound is thrilling, heartwarming, and sunnily satisfying. You'll fall in love with these kids and their hopes and dreams.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T. Excellent.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: A[/color][/font]
Dannielle A

It was incredible to see these kids study for the national spelling bee eight hours a day!!! They really wanted it BAD, some didn't even like spelling but wanted to prove they were the best. Some wanted to please their parents, some were newbies that made it by sheer luck. Harry… More
It was incredible to see these kids study for the national spelling bee eight hours a day!!! They really wanted it BAD, some didn't even like spelling but wanted to prove they were the best. Some wanted to please their parents, some were newbies that made it by sheer luck. Harry Altman was hilarious! I got some good laughs.
Joey N

Surprisingly tense documentary about a national spellingbee.
Curt C

A movie about a spelling bee. The topic is just too uninteresting, sorry.
Marcus W

This film has been so hyped I had to see what all the fuss was about. And it's about a spelling competition. That's all. It's about kids spelling bastard hard words to be named best speller. They don't get anything from it. Being able to spell words most people… More
This film has been so hyped I had to see what all the fuss was about. And it's about a spelling competition. That's all. It's about kids spelling bastard hard words to be named best speller. They don't get anything from it. Being able to spell words most people have never heard of is not going to help them in life. "Hi, is that Yale? Yeah, I don't have any degrees, but I can spell 'mayonnaise'."
Andrew P

Not the documentary I had been told it was. It was well made however lacking in interest. A lot of the kids had the same story just told differently. It kept my interest in who would win, unfortunately in my opinion the most interesting kid was out first. Worth a watch but not as… More
Not the documentary I had been told it was. It was well made however lacking in interest. A lot of the kids had the same story just told differently. It kept my interest in who would win, unfortunately in my opinion the most interesting kid was out first. Worth a watch but not as satisfying as you would believe.
Angela A

I still find it hilarious how seriously all these families take this. And the attitudes are scary - one girl is doing the spelling bees because she wants to be the best at something and she already knows friends who are better than her at other things she's good at. For the… More
I still find it hilarious how seriously all these families take this. And the attitudes are scary - one girl is doing the spelling bees because she wants to be the best at something and she already knows friends who are better than her at other things she's good at. For the most part, these kids would have a better idea how to spell if they just read a lot of interesting books instead of studying spelling. Crazy..
Sunil J

Such an emotional documentary with such excitement! You're rooting for them just as much as they are for themselves.
Christopher B

Charming and fascinating doc on various kids' preparation and competition in a spelling bee. All the kids are excellent, worthy of a documentary on their own, and the non-intrusive direction is excellent.
Tom S

I can spell logorrhea. Big whoop.
Linda K

One thing that ive learn from this film. It is to fight to the last moment. The documentary depicted the true sense of competition through the eyes of children.
Wu C

Entertaining little doc.