Akeelah and the Bee

2006
PG
1h 52m

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

22K

YOUR RATING

Keke Palmer in Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

Home Video Trailer from Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Play trailer2:43

4 Videos

24 Photos

Drama Family

Akeelah, a young gifted girl, comes from a dysfunctional family and is on the verge of quitting school. She discovers that she has a high aptitude for spellings and enters a spelling bee con... Read allAkeelah, a young gifted girl, comes from a dysfunctional family and is on the verge of quitting school. She discovers that she has a high aptitude for spellings and enters a spelling bee contest.Akeelah, a young gifted girl, comes from a dysfunctional family and is on the verge of quitting school. She discovers that she has a high aptitude for spellings and enters a spelling bee contest.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

22K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 11 wins & 15 nominations total

Videos4

Trailer 2:36

Akeelah and the Bee

Clip 3:46

How Keke Palmer Learned to Cry From Angela Bassett

Clip 8:09

Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon Share Their Films of Hope for Difficult Times

Photos24

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The final word spelled by Dylan is logorrhea. This is the winning word from the documentary Spellbound (2002) which tracks several participants in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in 1999.

Goofs
The plaque on the wall in Dr. Larabee's office, which he makes Akeelah read, wrongly attributes the quote to Nelson Mandela's 1994 inaugural speech. This is a common mistake, but Nelson Mandela has never used that quote in any of his published speeches. The quote is from Marianne Williamson an American spiritual activist.

Quotes
Akeelah: [quoting Marianne Williamson] Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
Dr. Larabee: Does that mean anything to you?
Akeelah: I don't know.
Dr. Larabee: It's written in plain English. What does it mean?
Akeelah: That I'm not supposed to be afraid?
Dr. Larabee: Afraid of what?
Akeelah: Afraid of... me?

Connections
Featured in The Colbert Report: Frank Rich (2006)

Soundtracks
El indio y el vaquero
Written by Xocoyotzin Herrera
Performed by Francisco Javier González & José Zuñiga
Courtesy of LMS Records/Latin Music Specialists

User reviews185

Featured review

8/10

I would compare it to 'The Karate Kid' meets 'Finding Forrester'.

In 'Akeelah and the Bee' Keke Palmer plays Akeelah Anderson, a bright 11 year old who just wants to fit in. Despite her intelligence, she is not a good student. She is unmotivated and often misses class. Since the death of her father five years ago, she only seems content when she imagines playing Scrabble with him. Nevertheless, her talent for spelling gives her an opportunity to shine.

This is on of the better movies I have seen this year. This heart-warming and inspirational story is about a girl who, despite all the hardships at home, finds a way to utilize her skill at Scrabble. With a little help from her coach (Laurence Fishburne) she not only learns a lot about language, but she learns how to appreciate the environment around her. She finds out that she is rich in ways she did not realize.

It is very difficult to find fault with this movie, there is something in it for everyone (even a few surprises). Both Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne are awesome. I was particularly impressed with Keke Palmer. I would compare it to 'The Karate Kid' meets 'Finding Forrester'.

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