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MOVIES / ON DVD / AKEELAH AND THE BEE
Akeelah and the Bee

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Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

83%
56%
85%
N/A
N/A
N/A
83 %
Reviews Counted: 131 Fresh: 109  Rotten:22 Average Rating: 7/10
 
Consensus: A warm, family-friendly underdog story. Although predictable in every way, a winning performance from its young star Keke Palmer and the rest of the cast makes it difficult not to cheer for the little heroine of Akeelah and the Bee. Sort of like Rocky for the middle school nerd set, Akeelah is a warm, family-friendly underdog story, featuring terrific supporting performances from Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett. more
 
Rated: 12A
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Theatrical Release: 18-08-2006
Synopsis:
Following in the fine tradition of inspiring inner-city underdog tales like STAND AND DELIVER, and TAKE THE LEAD, Doug Atchison's AKEELAH AND THE BEE is a story of overcoming odds that never descends into empty formula. The narrative centers around the character of Akeelah (Keke Palmer, in a... [More]
Following in the fine tradition of inspiring inner-city underdog tales like STAND AND DELIVER, and TAKE THE LEAD, Doug Atchison's AKEELAH AND THE BEE is a story of overcoming odds that never descends into empty formula. The narrative centers around the character of Akeelah (Keke Palmer, in a star-making performance), a charming yet insecure 11 year old girl from Los Angeles' gang-ridden South Central district. Upon flipping channels after school one day, she lands on ESPN's coverage of the National Spelling Bee. Having recently become aware of her innate talent in this area, Akeelah cannot help but fantasize about the prospect of being a star of the bee circuit. The tragic problem -- intelligence of this kind is not valued in her community, where skills of athleticism and rapping are coveted far more than school smarts. Though Akeelah attempts to hide her academic acuity behind a rebellious attitude, she cannot resist the temptation to enter her school's spelling bee, at which her stellar performance attracts the attention of her idealistic principal, who pairs her with a mentor, a former professor named Joshua Larabee (the always riveting Laurence Fishburne, who re-embodies the wise iconoclast character he played so well in the chess movie SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER). Meanwhile, Akeelah's strong, practical mother, (played by Angela Bassett, who worked with Fishburne on the Tina Turner biopic WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?) while always supportive of her talented daughter, does not necessarily see the point of spending such time and energy on what will likely amount to a fleeting hobby. Perhaps taking its cue from the surprising popularity of Jeffrey Blitz's quirky documentary SPELLBOUND (2002), which explored spelling prodigies from diverse classes, races, and geographic locations, this drama makes what could be a narrow niche into a universal tale of triumph over adversity. [Less]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, Curtis Armstrong, Sean Michael, Lee Thompson Young

Director: Doug Atchison
Screenwriter: Doug Atchison
Producer: Laurence Fishburne, Sidney Ganis, Michael Paseornek, Dalia Phillips, Nancy Hult, Daniel Llewellyn, Michael Romersa
Composer: Aaron Zigman

DVD Info

Release:

May 8, 2008

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Full Frame - 1.33

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital Surround Sound 5.1 - English
  • Dolby Digital Surround Sound Stereo 2.0 - English
  • Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional
  • Closed Captioned - English - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Featurettes - 1. "Making of AKEELAH AND THE BEE"
  • 2. "Two Peas in a Pod"
  • 3. "Inside the Mind of Akeelah"
  • 4. Music Video - KeKe Palmer - "All My Girlz"
  • 5. Gag Reel
  • 6. Deleted Scenes

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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Ratings Image

It's hard not to fall in love with the film

Full Review | Comment
08/26/06 04:07 AM
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus
Ratings Image

Give it an m, i, s, s.

Full Review | Comment
08/19/06 04:04 AM
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

The film has an important, uplifting message; shame it couldn't be encased in a less faked-up story.

Full Review | Comment
08/19/06 04:04 AM
Robert Hanks
Independent
Ratings Image

There's charm in this simple underdog tale, but clunky plotting and characterisation mean it has 'telemovie' written all over it. You’d be better off renting Spellbound instead.

Full Review | Comment
08/18/06 03:15 AM
Anna Smith
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

The young star is such a little cutey-pie and the plot so cleverly manipulative that, whatever its faults, you’ll still have a lump in your throat throughout.

Full Review | Comment
08/18/06 03:15 AM
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]
Ratings Image

Its clichés seem bigger and its characterisations broader than they would on the more forgiving telly.

Full Review | Comment
08/17/06 03:16 AM
Jessica Winter
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

This isn't a patch on Spellbound ... but its strong performances and its skilful deployment of the finest, hand-picked cliches ensures that it remains enjoyable throughout.

Full Review | Comment
08/17/06 03:16 AM
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
Ratings Image

As much a fantasy as Lord of the Rings.

Full Review | Comment
08/15/06 03:16 AM
Neil Smith
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Undermined by an over-scripted plot and gooey sentiment.

Full Review | Comment
06/01/06 03:16 AM
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
Ratings Image

The best thing ... is that, unlike the majority of sports films, the film doesn't suggest that spelling has some kind of transcendental importance.

Full Review | Comment
09/18/07 05:25 PM
Christopher Campbell
Cinematical
Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review | Comment
07/14/07 05:09 AM
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
Ratings Image

Fine performances all around and smart pacing that rivets us to the story.

Full Review | Comment
03/01/07 03:39 AM
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International
Ratings Image

Any parents wondering why they don't make wholesome family flicks anymore can stop wondering.

Full Review | Comment
01/22/07 07:22 PM
Kam Williams
AALBC.com
Ratings Image

This is a film that couldn't be more predictable or more joyful. I just hope I haven't misspelled anything.

Full Review | Comment
12/09/06 03:35 PM
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals
Ratings Image

...a sporadically engaging drama.

Full Review | Comment
11/22/06 07:32 AM
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Ratings Image

If there's ever any evidence that originality and predictability aren't necessarily absolute elements by which to judge a movie, Akeelah and the Bee is it.

Full Review | Comment
09/21/06 10:26 PM
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies
Ratings Image

It's every bit as clichéd and predictable as you'd expect, but thanks to some fine performances, especially from the young leads, it is quite watchable.

Full Review | Comment
09/08/06 08:37 PM
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today
Ratings Image

While there's a temptation to dismiss Akeelah and the Bee as Good Will Spelling, there aren't enough (good) heartwarming films like this for either younger or older audiences.

Full Review | Comment
08/31/06 07:06 AM
Harry Guerin
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)
Ratings Image

However eager to entertain and even to model some ways of living life, the film doesn't wheedle us for our love or our devotion, and perhaps for that reason, it earns both.

Full Review | Comment
07/28/06 09:38 PM
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks
Ratings Image

Director Atchison succinctly separates the film's emotional core from a surfeit of cornball classism.

Full Review | Comment
06/03/06 04:07 AM
David N. Butterworth
rec.arts.movies.reviews
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Related Forums

trailer music~~
by: teddycheong 10/17/07


REEL_REVIEWER
AKEELAH & THE BEE gets a pre-opening preem in the Tribeca Film Fest SHOWCASE section!
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REEL_REVIEWER
AKEELAH & THE BEE gets a pre-opening preem in the Tribeca Film Fest SHOWCASE section!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 9/2/06


REEL_REVIEWER
AKEELAH & THE BEE gets a pre-opening preem in the Tribeca Film Fest SHOWCASE section!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 9/2/06


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