Much to her surprise and embarrassment, she wins. Morris added, "Obviously, it's emotional propaganda. Akeelah and the Bee [79][80] The film was also screened in October 2006 at the Rome Film Festival, in which it competed at the Alicy in the City section. [51] Turan complimented how Fishburne and Bassett's "presence and ability give this film a welcome integrity". Atchison remarked that his theme for the film, deemed an inspirational film, was about overcoming obstacles despite difficult challenges along the way. Javier invites her to join the spelling club at his Woodland Hills middle school. Several studios wanted to turn Larabee's character into a white character but Atchison felt "it was important that Akeelah's mentor be someone that comes from her neighborhood, that looks like her. Shannon Patrick Sullivan . There were so many people there that some had to be turned away. She needs to know the importance of language – and competition. To impress a foxy divorcee, ladies' man Nick offers to take her kids on an extended road trip, unaware of the torture he's in for. [100] Ingman of The Austin Chronicle described it as a typical sports film and felt it was heavy-handed at times. Dylan, fed up with his father's competitiveness, intentionally misspells it as well. At the party, Akeelah nearly beats Dylan in Scrabble. This inspires them to open their own day-care center. [14] Villarreal also felt that, through Dylan's father, parents would be able to ponder if they are "push[ing] their kids to follow their own dreams and not the children's dreams. "[59] Ann Hornaday from The Washington Post opined that Akeelah's sentence "Why would I want to represent a school that doesn't even have doors on the toilets?" This thematic richness and the exquisite performance by Keke Palmer makes this one of the best films of the year. Also, Larabee had been an older man (72 years old), and a few characters were cut. 2:38. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, white authority figure saves the underclass child, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, "Fishburne says 'Akeelah' touches on risky themes", "Akeelah and the Bee: An Interview with Angela Bassett", "ShoWest 2006 Distinguished Decade of Achievement in Film", "Black Enterprise Profiles Hollywood's New Hotshots", "Laurence Fishburne on 'Akeelah and the Bee, "#ThankATeacher Trending Before National Teacher Day On May 6th", "Angela Bassett Talks About 'Akeelah and the Bee, "Mission actor, kid sister don't care who gets famous first", "Mission Student Has Role In Major Movie", "Interview with JR Villarreal from Akeelah and the Bee", "Sahara Garey: The Akeelah and the Bee Interview", "Interview with 'Akeelah and the Bee' Writer/Director Doug Atchison", "Akeelah and the Bee: An Interview with Doug Atchison", "Keke Palmer Steals the Show in Akeelah and the Bee", "Akeelah and the Bee [Original Soundtrack] - Original Soundtrack − Awards", "Akeelah and the Bee - Original Score (2006)", "Lionsgate releases Tyler's BUG score online", "In a word, 'Akeelah' spells crowd-pleaser", "One nation, one anthem, sung in our common tongue", "Your Weekly Guide to New Movies for April 28, 2006", "Lincoln Zephyr Rolls Out Red Carpet for Premiere of Lionsgate's 'Akeelah and the Bee, "TI Highlights Advancement of Digital Cinema Industry at ShoWest", "30th Cleveland International Film Festival", "Akeelah and the Bee": Young star casts quite a spell in busy, busy "Bee", "28th Young Artist Awards – Nominations / Special Award", "The Avengers Makes $80.5 Million Its Opening Day! [34] She "must first overcome her feelings of inadequacy,"[34] and when she discovers Larabee comes from her neighborhood and is a successful man, it "empowers her to ... accomplish this task. “Akeelah and the Bee” is an unconventional film, in a conventional film’s body. Movie Trailers. However, Atchison has summarized that "the steps she goes through, the friends she's got, those were always the same. Smith stated, "clunky plotting and characterisation mean it has 'telemovie' written all over it". Using high tech gadgets, two kids have to save their reactivated OSS top spy parents when they're taken by an evil, high tech enemy. Georgia rekindles her friendship with Akeelah after she invites her. Responding to a threat by her school's principal, Akeelah participates in a spelling bee to avoid detention for her many absences. During the competition, Akeelah becomes a crowd favorite. PG 1 hr 52 min Apr 28th, 2006 Drama Akeelah is a precocious 11-year-old girl from south Los Angeles with a gift for words. "[11] Lionsgate's President of Production Michael Paseornek agreed that Atchison should direct the script, claiming that he was the only person who could do it because the story "was in his heart and in his mind". Soon after, Dr. Joshua Larabee, a visiting English professor, tests Akeelah and decides that she is good enough to compete in the National Spelling Bee. [82] Its bonus features on the single-disc DVD include seven deleted scenes and a 25-minute making-of video featuring Atchinson and the cast. [20][29] The eleven-year-old Palmer had to follow the United States' child labor laws, which necessitated spending at least three hours a day at school, one on recreation, and one at lunch. [119][120] After all, Larabee, as Linder described, is "a non-threatening black man who has assimilated to white culture and who can be depended on to help assimilate others". [34] In January 2006, Starbucks announced a partnership with Lionsgate to market it. Check out some the surprise hits of 2021 that caught the attention of IMDb fans and are all available to stream now. [50] PopMatters's Cynthia Fuchs stated it is formulaic as it has some "conventions that make so many other genre films feel stale", but that it "torques them slightly", emphasizing the "intellectual activities" Akeelah gets involved with. Erica Hubbard, Lee Thompson Young, and Julito McCullum portray Akeelah's sister and brothers Kiana, Devon, and Terrence, respectively. But she is also wary, because in her school there is danger in being labeled a "brainiac," and it's wiser to keep your smarts to yourself. Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), from south Los Angeles, has a talent for words. [116], The film was nominated for six Black Reel Awards, winning only Best Actress for Palmer. Atchison's script ended up being one of five scripts selected, and he won the grant. The true story of Jasmine Plummer who, at the age of eleven, became the first female to play in Pop Warner football tournament in its 56-year history. Steven Yeun in Talks for Jordan Peele’s New Movie Opposite Keke Palmer, Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer to Star in Jordan Peele’s Upcoming Secret Film at Universal; Daniel Kaluuya in Talks to Join, Keke Palmer Will Star in Jordan Peele's Super Secret New Movie, Family Friendly Movie and TV Picks For Spring, Guillermo del Toro, Neil Gaiman, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and More Share Their Favorite Films About Hope, Important Black Stories in Film, Streaming for Free. Set in 1904, "American Girls" revolves around Samantha as she moves in with her grandmother and learns how to become a proper Victorian young lady. [50] Atchison affirmed that its focus is not the spelling but "a kid who learns what she's good at, becomes proud of that and doesn't want to hide it anymore. [98] Turan of the Los Angeles Times criticized that the film "telegraphs its plot"; however, he praised it as "genuinely sweet and determinedly inspirational". (2006). Enter the answer length or the answer pattern to get better results. Her gift takes her to compete in the National Spelling Bee, the most famous competition of its kind in the world. "[7] Fishburne stated the film's treatment of race extends beyond the dichotomy of struggle and success, and goes into the prejudice that many people hold against black people competing in mainstream society. [54] Commenting on The Times, Chris Ayres stressed that although it has good "visual flair" it "is ruined by its Oprah-style emotional manipulation". [98] Fuchs felt that most of the film's strengths "have to do with Palmer's winning performance". [115] Linder said characters "are mostly represented as having 'no interest in escape' from societal oppressions and limitations" and that "there is no sign throughout the film of any kind of lasting change for Akeelah's school or her young peers". A young girl from South Los Angeles tries to make it to the National Spelling Bee. "[50] The New York Press's reviewer went further and said social class was its "real subject" as it "depicts the basics of class mobility that are routinely taken for granted". [4] While the film received positive reviews, critics noted that it was not doing as well financially as they had predicted,[73][74] and Lionsgate's Michael Burns characterized the film's gross with the word "only". [29][30] From this, he got the idea to write a script following the story of a child who had talent for spelling bee but was from a low-income neighborhood so did not "have access to the resources or coaching to pursue it as these other kids had. After all the other competitors are eliminated, only Dylan and Akeelah remain.
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