Movie: Akeelah and the Bee

I’m a sucker for spelling bees. Our elementary school spelling bee was one of the highlights of the year when I was a school principal. And I always try to catch the Scripps National Spelling Bee—a real nail-biting sporting event!

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Keke Palmer (as Akeelah) and Lawrence Fishburne

It’s no surprise then that I so enjoyed the 2006 movie Akeelah and the Bee (1 hr. 52 min.). The movie’s production is superb and the acting by the protagonist, young Keke Palmer is outstanding—nothing short of amazing, really. She’s on the screen in almost every shot and yet every second of her presence is believable. After watching her performance one realizes that most big screen “Hollywood actors” don’t come close to having her range.

This is an inspiring film, suitable for family viewing or church audiences. Highly recommended.

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By the way, the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee winning word was: serrefine.

About igalindo

Israel Galindo is Professor and Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary.
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