Akeelah Spells A Good Time For The Whole Family
Just recently, I was checking the movie listings in my local newspaper when I had seen that RV, the latest Robin Williams film, was given a "Seal Of Approval", by a major family-oriented association. In this particular film, in just the trailers showed a stupid dad, whiney kids, and a scene involving father and son getting showered by fecal matter, I kid you not. When it came to Akeelah and the Bee, there was no such approval, which was how I knew this was going to be an excellent family film.
Akeelah and the Bee is a fascinating film that understands children, social classes, and the stresses that both go through on a daily basis. We learn to love these characters and want to know them better. And we cheer them on as though we're right beside them. That's not just a mark of a great film.
Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer) is an incredibly bright 11-year-old who has to find new ways of compensating for her intelligence to keep her grades low. She's afraid of being seen as a freak for being smart in an urban school that respects violence more than intelligence. Her teacher's aren't fooled for one minute and almost blackmail her into competing in her school's spelling bee. She wins very easily (which isn't saying much, since the other kids are either playing dumb or not), but she captures the attention of a visiting Dr. Larabee (Lawrence Fishbourne). In front of everybody, he asks her to spell some words that are much more difficult, and she rises to the challenge. He thinks she has what it takes to go to the National Spelling Bee and is willing to help her get there. But her mother (Angela Bassett) isn't so keen on this. Her reasons are Akeelah's grades, which to anybody really paying attention to her can see come from being bored more than a lack of trying. Unfortunately, her mom has other issues she has to face and cannot pay much attention to her.
She makes friends of other spelling bee types from the nicer neighborhoods around L.A. One is Javier (JR Villareal), a boy who has a serious crush on her. The other is Dylan (Sean Michael Afable), whom gains her sympathy when she sees how badly his father treats him in their last attempt for victory at the Nationals. As she gets closer to the Nationals, she starts taking on the role of a champion for her neighborhood. Even the local hoods go out of their way to help her in one of the most fascinating scenes in this film.
But it is in Larabee that Akeelah finds a father figure since her real father had died much earlier in her life. I love how the film reaches in her heart to see her father in short flashbacks, since it was his love of words that spur his daughter to love them too. But Larabee has a secret pain he shares as well, and one that only in his journey with Akeelah will he be able to come to terms with. Usually in this instance, I would consider this contrived. With this film, it's the real foundation of their bond and I feel it from both of them.
What makes this story so strong is how earnest all these characters are. They talk like how I would think they talk, Akeelah acts like an 11-year-old would act. And all of the events that occur, as they should, nothing feeling forced or ill placed. It comes close to melodrama in a few places, but holds back just enough to see it on the inside, except for Akeelah, since she's at that age where it's supposed to come out.
The performances all-round are prefect. Angela Bassett has always been Hollywood's best-kept secret since she brings more power into one scene than Halle Berry can put into five features. As Akeelah's overburdened mother, I felt an amazing amount of sympathy for her and never see her as an obstacle, resembling how other films like to consider parents. She just wants to keep Akeelah on the right path. Fishbourne also brings his A-Game here, although his Larabee does have that Zen-quality one might see in his Morpheus. But it is newcomer Keke Palmer that I must applaud. This is an Oscar-Worthy Performance if there ever was one. She makes us not only care for Akeelah, but love her and root for her. Every word she gets right keeps the audience applauding for her and Palmer allows us to see a girl who is trying make the best of a stressful situation. She doesn't hog scenes like other actresses, but allows her other co-stars, especially the non-star type, have their moments and supports them. I don't know if there'll be another performance I'll be talking about like this anytime later this year.
Director Doug Atchison deserves applause for his LACK of flashy filmmaking. This is a character story if there ever is one. He puts his faith in his actors and his faith pays off in dividends. He uses quite a few montages to get through the training sequences. Those are important and all of them look different from each other. And I applaud his decision to not allow the film to build suspense at the end, but to bask in these characters and let what should happen just happen. A lesser filmmaker would try to put us pin and needles until the very end. Instead, the final word is spelled in a montage of all of Akeelah's teachers helping her out one last time.
But back to what I was talking about concerning these American family associations that are giving approval to movies. Why do they pick movies that seem to revel in misbehaving children and incompetent parents? Why praise Daddy Day Care and ignore Millions? Akeelah is an uplifting film that makes you feel good coming out, where you're glad to have spent money to see it, but can also bring the kids along to see it too. There are a couple of naughty words said, but considering that this film is more than a little populated by magnificent words and ideas, I think the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Kids are more likely to be encouraged to spell rather than swear. And they might find a deeper respect for words and ideas coming out of this film.
All in all, Akeelah and the Bee is a splendid piece of cinema more than worthy of your consumption. This film is not only most likely to be Best Family Film of the Year, but a film will be buying for my future kids to see.