April 28, 2006
Akeelah and the Bee is a 2006 American drama film written and directed by Doug Atchison. It tells the story of Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), an 11-year-old girl who participates in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, her mother (Angela Bassett), her schoolmates, and her coach, Dr. Joshua Larabee (Laurence Fishburne). The cast also features Curtis Armstrong, J. R. Villarreal, Sean Michael Afable, Erica Hubbard, Lee Thompson Young, Julito McCullum, Sahara Garey, Eddie Steeples, and Tzi Ma.
The film was developed over a period of 10 years by Atchison, who came up with the initial concept after seeing the 1994 Scripps National Spelling Bee and noting that a majority of the competitors came from well-off socioeconomic backgrounds. After completing the script in 1999, Atchison won one of the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting in 2000, which attracted producers Sid Ganis and Nancy Hult Ganis. After an initial inability to secure funding, the project got a second wind as a result of the success of the 2002 documentary film Spellbound. Lionsgate Films undertook the production in 2004 and in the following year it was filmed in South Los Angeles on a budget of over $6 million.
Atchison remarked that his theme for the film, deemed an inspirational film, was about overcoming obstacles despite difficult challenges along the way. He also said that he wanted to portray African Americans in a manner that was not stereotypical and tried to show how African-American children incorporate some stereotypes. The film alludes to the importance of community as well as to problems black communities face. It also deals with esteem and stigma in school while criticizing the public school system. Cast members said that although the film was aimed at children, they considered it had important lessons for the parents as well.
Released in the United States on April 28, 2006, Akeelah and the Bee was positively received by critics and audiences. Reviewers praised its storyline and cast, lauding Palmer's performance, although a few critics panned the story as familiar and formulaic, and were critical of the portrayal of Asian-American characters. The film grossed $19 million, and received a number of awards and nominations, including the Black Reel Awards and the NAACP Image Awards. Film critics highly praised it for avoiding African-American stereotypes common in Hollywood films, while scholars were less favorable, even saying it reinforces some clichés.
Storyline
11-year-old spelling enthusiast Akeelah Anderson attends the predominantly black Crenshaw Middle School in South Los Angeles. She lives with her widowed mother Tanya, her three older siblings Kiana, Devon, and Terrence, and Kiana's infant daughter, Mikayla. Akeelah's principal, Mr. Welch, encourages her to enter the Crenshaw Spelling Bee. She initially refuses, but enters after being threatened with detention for the remainder of the semester due to her frequent truancy, and wins.
Visiting English professor Dr. Joshua Larabee is impressed by Akeelah and believes she has a chance of winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee. She visits his house to ask him to coach her, but they argue over her use of African American Vernacular English, and he ultimately dismisses her, leading her to begin studying on her own. Although Akeelah is disqualified during the final round, she is given another chance after Kiana catches one of the other finalists cheating, and manages to place. Akeelah befriends fellow speller Javier Mendez, who invites her to join the spelling club at his Woodland Hills middle school.
At Woodland Hills, Dylan Chiu, a Chinese-American boy who has placed second at the past two national spelling bees and is in his final year of eligibility, tells Akeelah that she needs a coach. When an increasingly stressed Tanya discovers Akeelah has been traveling alone to Woodland Hills, she forbids Akeelah from participating in the regional bee and enrolls her in summer school to make up for her absences. Akeelah forges her father's signature on the consent form and secretly studies with Dr. Larabee.
At Javier's birthday party, Akeelah nearly beats Dylan in Scrabble, after which she overhears Dylan's father berating him for almost losing to a black girl. At the state bee, Tanya unexpectedly arrives, demands Akeelah be removed from the stage, and pulls Akeelah out into the hallway, where she chastises her for her dishonesty. Javier intentionally stalls to allow Akeelah to return to the stage in time for her next turn. After speaking to Dr. Larabee and Mr. Welch, Tanya allows Akeelah to continue, and she advances to Scripps, along with Dylan and Javier. Tanya later apologizes to Akeelah, explaining that she was merely afraid of Akeelah losing.
Dr. Larabee later tells Akeelah that he is resigning as her coach, and gives her 5,000 flashcards to study despite her protests. Feeling abandoned by Dr. Larabee, distanced from her best friend Georgia, and pressured by her community to win and make them proud, Akeelah loses her motivation. Encouraged by Tanya, Akeelah recruits her family members, classmates, teachers, friends, and neighbors to help her prepare. Akeelah visits Dr. Larabee, who confesses that she reminds him of his late daughter, Denise, who died of a terminal illness when she was younger than Akeelah. He agrees to accompany her to Washington, D.C. for Scripps, along with Tanya, Mr. Welch, and Devon. Akeelah also invites Georgia, rekindling their friendship.
During the competition, Akeelah and Dylan become the two finalists. After overhearing Dylan's father aggressively pressuring him to win, Akeelah intentionally misspells a word to help him win. Dylan, fed up with his father's competitive nature, intentionally misspells the same word and tells Akeelah that he wants a fair competition. The two are eventually declared co-champions after Akeelah spells "pulchritude," the same word she misspelled at the beginning of the film.
Sound Effects Used
- Hollywoodedge, Door Bell 1 Typical Ho PE250201 (Heard twice.)
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Exterior Crow PE140501
- Hollywoodedge, School Bell Long Ring PE193201