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Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
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Akeelah and the Bee is one of a few movies that Hollywood has spewed to be family-friendly. I always like positive movies like this that emphasize the importance of of an "education." Kudos to Producers: Starbucks, espresso sanctuary / film studio, a great first outing... brew us some more, brew us some more!
Akeelah Anderson, an 11-year-old South Los Angeles student, who has great talents in Spelling....is played by new comer Keke Palmer. Through Palmer's acting prowess, we see Akeelah is tensed, worried and tired of life in school. She does not want to be considered a nerd. Unfortunately and fortunately, her principal (Curtis Armstrong) discovers her talents and forces her to join the school's spelling bee. Guess who wins and moves on to the regional bee? She is faced with the real challenge.....of facing the real life nerds of the different schools in her area. She has the talents but she lacks the drive and the discipline.
Here comes an angel in the form of an ex-university professor, Joshua Larabee (Laurence Fishburne), who becomes a coach to Akeelah. The two opposing egoes at first does not match but eventually they realize that they both need to challenge each other to grow and to learn from each other.
Of course another conflict comes as Akeelah's mother, Tanya (Angela Bassett), does not like to see her daughter meeting up with Professor Joshua to be coached in spelling. Bassett of course always shines and this case her simple portrayal of Tanya was so effective. What a lovely chance to see Fishburne and Bassett reunited for the first time since 1993's "What's Love Got to Do With It." They need to make more movies together again.
I love the way this movie shows triumph over adversity. I have seen how the youth of today find education old and useless but movies like this will encourage them to consider the importance of "education." We see Akeelah grow from an 11 year girl to a human being who has faced life and reality head on. The movie is unpretentious and has effectively uplifted my spirits. Thanks to Palmer, Fishburne and Bassett and to producers Starbucks. I recommend this to the whole family. Parents bring your children to this movie and encourage them to excel and shine!
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