Review of Spellbound (2002) by Liz B — 24 Jan 2007

Jesus and Spelling Bees. Children are the focus of two documentaries and one drama.

[b]Jesus Camp - 7.5/10[/b].

Director - Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady.

Evangelical Christian children are the focus of this revealing documentary. Becky Fisher is a child pastor who operates an evangelical Christian Camp in North Dakota. It his her job to reinforce the religious training her young campers receive at home, most of whom are home schooled. It is her believe that children are the foot soldiers for a new war, a war for Christ, and that by reaching them young that will better enable them to influence and recruit other youth into the Evangelical movement. It's a polarizing film. It's easy to see by watching this film how Evangelicals feel the seperation of church and state is not only a bad thing, but downright evil. There are no alternative religions are beliefs, only there way or sin. We see Ms. Fisher, a very articulate and likable woman, spew the evils of Harry Potter while worshipping a cardboard cuttout of George W. Bush. We see the kids rally against abortion, praying for more conservative Supreme Court nominees, and doing ritualistic (and miltaristic) dances for Jesus. And the kids are hooked. We meet three of them; Levi, Racheal and Tory. All are likeable kids, but committed foot soldiers. I would love to see a follow-up in about 7-10 years to see if these kids still believe in this cause. The filmmakers may or may not have an agenda, but they certainly are respectful to their subjects which is why this is such a provacative documentary. Jesus Camp was also nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary.

[b]Spellbound - 8/10[/b].

Director - Jeffrey Blitz.

The Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee is the focus of this delightful documentary. Director Jeffrey Blitz focuses on eight distinct children from across the US, their backgrounds and goals, as they make there way to Washington DC to compete for the Spelling Bee title. And the eight children definitely represent the melting pot of the USA. We have children from different ethnic backgrounds, different economic background, and different geographical backgrounds. Angela is a first generation American from a small town in Texas. Her parents, who speak no English, immigrated illegally from Mexico. Emily from Connecticut comes from a wealthy family and loves riding horses when not studdying for the Bee. Neil, from California, faces intense pressure from his father to succeed. An uncle in India promises to donate money to a charitable cause over there only if he wins. Ashley comes from a Washington DC housing project. Harry, from New Jersey, is a colorful and expressive kid with a wide range of emotions. These are a few of the children we meet, and we also visit with their families, seeing how they help motivate (or even pressure) their kids to succeed. The film climaxes at the National Spelling Bee as round after round we cheer on the kids and agonize when one by one they are eliminated until the Spelling Bee champ emerges from the group of eight. A lot of suspense for a documentary! Well-done and highly enertaining.

[b]Akeelah and the Bee - 7.5/10[/b].

Director - Doug Atchison.

Starring - Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Curtis Armstrong, JR Villareal.

After seeing [i]Spellbound[/i], I had to watch [i]Akeelah and the Bee[/i]. Keke Palmer stars as Akeelah, a bright young girl being raised by her single mother (Angela Bassett) in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Despite being gifted, she isn't a star student and tries to fit in with her friends. However her principal encourages her to enter her school's first ever Spelling Bee where she wins, which leads her to Dr. Larabee (Fishburne), a college professor who competed in the National Spelling Bee as a child. Larabee is something of a disciplinarian, something Akeelah hasn't had. He also serves as a father figure as Akeelah's father died when she was young. And Dr. Larabee lsot a daughter to illness, giving the two a unique bond beyon spelling.

Although one could argue the film is too conventional, writer/director Doug Atchison gives the main characters depth without layering too much sap. Above all the wonderful performance of young Keke Palmer and veteran actor Laurence Fishburne give the film depth. Ms. Palmer is very expressive; the flow of the film dependent on her emotions, and she succeeds. There are a lot of small moments in the film that I quite enjoyed. Overall an above average family film that even those of us without kids can enjoy.