Movie Review : Akeelah and the Bee
January 27th, 2007 | by Ridhima Suri |We saw Akeelah the Bee yesterday. I liked this movie and really appreciated the concept even more when i saw Spelling Bee Contest on TV.
Akeelah was a little girl who was not happy to go to her school, was tormented by the brutal death of her father,lacked a congenial atmosphere at home. Played by Keke Palmer, Akeelah is a shy 11-year old seventh grade student who people think of as undeniably average. Her mother Tanya (Angela Bassett) barely notices she is there, her school is not the beehive for healthy competition and her teachers find her incredibly dull and unambitious.
But she loved one thing. And that was, memorising spellings. What starts with the potrayal of a dull, low-energy, low profile kid, Akeelah, unfolds into the making of the national Spelling B champion!! All emotions shown in plenty….with the undertone of a black kid and her perception of the world.
What struck me most was that the girl was good at learning spellings and immediately got inspiration when she saw a TV show!! After all, most of us are like Akeelah who do not know what they want in life. In a way, she was lucky to atleast identify a path, and that too quite early. Also, the importance of mentors was drawn equally well. Her tutor (played by Laurence Fishburne) was just like the other professor, dry, expressionless but very intelligent; soft-spoken yet commited towards every inch of success that his teaching would do good for his disciple.
The movie had a thumping heart and I could feel the happiness at Akeelah’s success and disappointment at her loss! If you are thinking of renting a DVD, go and get this one..watch it with your friends with some popcorn!
Tags: Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews