Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

4/5

Akeelah and the Bee is the kind of movie you want to recommend to every 11-year-old you know.

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06/08/08

3.5/5

The best thing ... is that, unlike the majority of sports films, the film doesn't suggest that spelling has some kind of transcendental importance.

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09/18/07

3.5/4

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07/14/07

N/A

Fine performances all around and smart pacing that rivets us to the story.

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03/01/07

4/4

Any parents wondering why they don't make wholesome family flicks anymore can stop wondering.

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01/22/07

4/5

This is a film that couldn't be more predictable or more joyful. I just hope I haven't misspelled anything.

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12/09/06

2.5/4

...a sporadically engaging drama.

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11/22/06

8/10

If there's ever any evidence that originality and predictability aren't necessarily absolute elements by which to judge a movie, Akeelah and the Bee is it.

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09/21/06

2.5/4

It's every bit as clichéd and predictable as you'd expect, but thanks to some fine performances, especially from the young leads, it is quite watchable.

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09/08/06

3/5

While there's a temptation to dismiss Akeelah and the Bee as Good Will Spelling, there aren't enough (good) heartwarming films like this for either younger or older audiences.

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08/31/06

3/5

It's hard not to fall in love with the film

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08/26/06

1/5

Give it an m, i, s, s.

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08/19/06

2/5

The film has an important, uplifting message; shame it couldn't be encased in a less faked-up story.

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08/19/06

3/5

There's charm in this simple underdog tale, but clunky plotting and characterisation mean it has 'telemovie' written all over it. You’d be better off renting Spellbound instead.

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08/18/06

3/5

The young star is such a little cutey-pie and the plot so cleverly manipulative that, whatever its faults, you’ll still have a lump in your throat throughout.

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08/18/06

N/A

Its clichés seem bigger and its characterisations broader than they would on the more forgiving telly.

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08/17/06

3/5

This isn't a patch on Spellbound ... but its strong performances and its skilful deployment of the finest, hand-picked cliches ensures that it remains enjoyable throughout.

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08/17/06

3/5

As much a fantasy as Lord of the Rings.

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08/15/06

B

However eager to entertain and even to model some ways of living life, the film doesn't wheedle us for our love or our devotion, and perhaps for that reason, it earns both.

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07/28/06

3/4

Director Atchison succinctly separates the film's emotional core from a surfeit of cornball classism.

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06/03/06