Akeelah and the Bee

PG

Released Apr 28, 2006

1h 52m

Kids & Family

Drama

List

86%

140 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Akeelah, an 11-year-old girl living in South Los Angeles, discovers she has a talent for spelling, which she hopes will take her to the National Spelling Bee. Despite her mother's objections, Akeelah doesn't give up on her goal. She finds help in the form of a mysterious teacher, and along with overwhelming support from her community, Akeelah might just have what it takes to make her dream come true.

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Critics Consensus

A warm, family-friendly underdog story, featuring terrific supporting performances from Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, and Angela Bassett.

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Maripaz I

i like it . must see if you have a spelling bee

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I missed it in theaters. Yet this was Keke Palmer's rise to stardom. Your brain has to be smarter than your body, you can't grow if you're a shrinking violet, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure not being inadequate, we have more than one coach in life to help us along that way, words come from all around us, smaller ones can create bigger ones, love is the feeling where we feel safe and nothing else scares us Keke Palmer's performance is a delight. Laurence Fishburne is great as her spelling coach and Angela Bassett does wonders as her concerned mother. Spelling is hard but learning to spell out everything in your own as a kid in life is just as hard. Even if we have a strong vocabulary we have to exercise everything else at our disposal. Others laugh at our ability but the true concern is how far we can make it on our own. A terrific family flick with a stunning performance by a rising child actress.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/29/23

Full Review

shaina

a nice story with a happy ending, featuring a hardworking girl named Akeelah, brilliantly played by Keke Palmer. great visuals. some of the characterization of the antagonists fell flat.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/28/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Very well done movie and great for the family

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/13/22

Full Review

Mike P

Way overated. This is a well-meaning film, but it's about as stunning as your average After-School Special. Too formulaic. The performances are earnest; but the plot is completely and totally predictable, and the characters never really rise above tv-movie 2 dimensionality; they're just props for this umpteenth variation on Cinderella to play out on. You'd be better off watching the similarly themed Hoop Dreams, Spellbound, Searching For Bobby Fisher, or even A Boy Named Charlie Brown, another coming-of-age story which pivots on an outcast redeeming himself with a town spelling bee. Or, if you want to watch a really stunning coming-of-age story about a young black girl growing up in America try the classic 1997 gothic Eve's Bayou. Those movies are all special, this one's just ordinary.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

isla s

This is a decent and family friendly (for the most part) film - I suppose its a drama, although its not especially dramatic, its more insightful. There are some cliches present but I didn't feel it was entirely preachy or anything. I suppose perhaps a fair term to use in relation to the social commentary aspect of this film (or maybe instead of term I should say word - which is particularly relevant given the theme - this is a film about words! and I don't mean word as in respect(!)) would be wholesome. It felt fairly contemporary and has some decent performances. I could understand the main characters anxiety and concern relating to the pressure felt from others in terms of their hopes for her achievement. I've been aware of spelling bee contests for a few years and I like to think my spelling is ok - not amazing but certainly not awful, so I was slightly interested in the whole concept of this 'industry', if I may call it that, as it were etc. This is pretty clearly a film, a slightly Disney-ish (although its live action) one but not one that seemed completely artificial. I thought that Laurence Fishbourne gave a good performance as a Unviersity Professor turned Spelling Bee tutor. I kept thinking that this is the guy who was in The Matrix - its not quite so high drama, his role in this but its a good performance never the less. Have no doubt about it, there's cheese here but its not a bad film. I would recommend it as a mostly family friendly and somewhat intriguing watch, yes.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Doug Atchison

Director

Laurence Fishburne

Dr. Larabee

Angela Bassett

Tanya

Keke Palmer

Akeelah Anderson

Curtis Armstrong

Mr. Welch

Tzi Ma

Mr. Chiu

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Akeelah obeys every sports-movie rule, but trading end-zone dances for etymology gives it a geeky innocence. What's the word? Splendiferous.

Mar 15, 2018

Full Review

Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: A-

Feb 14, 2012

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Give it an m, i, s, s.

Rated: 1/5

Aug 19, 2006

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Akeelah and the Bee becomes one of the most life-affirming, inspiring and entertaining films of the year.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 1, 2020

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: B

Oct 3, 2012

Full Review

Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

It isn't just about the competition. It is about heart, dedication, intelligence and the pulling together of a entire community.

Rated: A

Nov 24, 2010

Full Review

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Synopsis

Akeelah, an 11-year-old girl living in South Los Angeles, discovers she has a talent for spelling, which she hopes will take her to the National Spelling Bee. Despite her mother's objections, Akeelah doesn't give up on her goal. She finds help in the form of a mysterious teacher, and along with overwhelming support from her community, Akeelah might just have what it takes to make her dream come true.

Director: Doug Atchison
Producer: Marc Butan, Mark Cuban, Michael Paseornek, Helen Sugland, Todd Wagner
Screenwriter: Doug Atchison
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Sony Television Productions, 2929 Productions, Cinema Gypsy Productions, Lionsgate Films, Out of the Blue... Entertainment, Spelling Bee Productions Inc.
Rating: PG (Some Language)
Genre: Kids & Family, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 28, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 16, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $18.8M
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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