Review of Spellbound (2002) by Adam G — 23 Feb 2004

Just how fascinating could a 90-minute film about the 1999 National Spelling Bee be? The short answer is: very. Spellbound is much more than a film about overachieving nerds who spend countless hours perusing the dictionary for words to spell. It is also a social commentary that touches on the value of education, the honor in hard work, the achievement of goals, the opportunities that exist in this country for those willing to take advantage of them. It is a film that looks beyond the surface of the competition to profile the lives of its participants. And, what we find there is often inspirational, sometimes heartbreaking, and always interesting.

Filmmaker Jeffrey Blitz selected 8 young people who won spelling competitions at the local level to qualify for the big show. We learn that these kids come from all walks of life and the reasons that drive their desire to succeed are as diverse as they are. Take Ted for example. Ted is a small-town kid, a child in a man?s body who struggles to find his place amongst peers who are not only inferior physically, but intellectually. For him, the National Spelling Bee is a place to feel accepted and understood. We meet Ashley, an inner city African American raised in a single-parent household. Ashley?s mother views her success as a way out of a difficult life. Angela is the daughter of Mexican immigrant cattle ranchers who never learned to speak English. Neil is Muslim and must cope not only with the expectations of his father but the expectations of his native country, as his father has promised enough money to feed 5,000 hungry people in exchange for their prayers for victory in the Finals. While the other stories included in the film are slightly less interesting, the young people profiled in them are no less engaging and you will find it difficult to root for only one of them. While you may not know them personally, you will know enough about them to feel your pulse quicken each time they are given a word to spell. You?ll become nearly as obsessed with knowing the final outcome as each of these kids are with their well-worn dictionaries.

There aren?t many extras on the DVD. The interactive menu features a Where Are They Now? Update, deleted scenes that introduce us to 3 more spellers whose stories didn?t make the final cut, an educational guide, and commentary by Blitz.