If you’ve visited a Starbucks in the past few months you’ve more than likely encountered some advertisements for the film “Akeelah and the Bee”. Akeelah and the Bee, produced by Starbucks Entertainment and Lionsgate Films follows the story of an inner city kid named Akeelah who attempts to win the National Spelling Bee.
Keke Palmer plays Akeelah, an 11 year old African-American girl from South Central Los Angeles. Akeelah lives with her widowed mother played by Angela Bassett, in a rough neighborhood in the city. At night Akeelah plays imaginary games of Scrabble with her deceased father and through doing so develops a highly advanced vocabulary for her age.
A teacher, played by Laurence Fishburne pushes her toward competing in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC. Her mother regards the spelling bee as a “game”, so Akeelah is forced to practice and study for the bee behind her mothers back.
Overall the film is a great story about an inner city kid who overcomes adversity to succeed in an unlikely area. As Akeelah’s brother points out in the film, most spelling bee contestants are “rich white kids”, Akeelah is a highly unlikely contestant based solely on her poor inner-city background. Throughout the movie she manages to gain the support of even the drug dealers in her neighborhood, and brings a positive message back to her school and neighborhood.
The movie is rated PG, and probably isn’t appropriate for children under the age of 8 or 9. In the movie there is a little bit of language, a fight on the schoolyard, a few tense family moments, references to close family deaths, racial discussion, and a few brief subtle references to gang activity. If you’re concerned about your child being exposed to any of those things you may want to preview the film before taking them with you to the theater.
“Akeelah and the Bee” overall is a great feel-good movie that will have you leaving the theater ready to compete in a spelling bee yourself.
Many Starbucks stores have boxes of “spelling bee cards” you can learn new words with, as well as winning words from past spelling bee’s on their hot cup sleeves. If you have a store in your area, a good after movie event could be to hit up the Starbucks with your child, and learn a few words while drinking your frappuchino.The movie’s website also has several games that can be fun for your children to play, as well as spelling bee word e-cards that they can send to friends.