Spellbound

Rating:
Summary: "don't be distracted by the glitz and glamor of the bee"
Review: In keeping with what other reviewers echoed, Spellbound really is a suspenseful and fascinating documentary following the progress of eight youngsters who have won regional spelling bees to compete at the national spelling bee championships. The documentary beautifully illustrates the vast differences in the individuals competing at the nationals, from relatively affluent children to children of non-English speaking immigrants. One parent points out, however, that the children who might otherwise be "geeks" or socially ostracized for their spelling (or other academic) prowess are "cool" and accepted within these circles, so in a social sense, the bee is actually a place not only for competition but for gaining acceptance among one's peers. The film accurately evokes the anxiety of a spelling bee, showing kids struggling and fidgeting nervously, some "visualizing" words in their heads or "writing" the words down on their hands. The film also reflects some vastly different approaches to learning and learning styles. One parent employed a variety of coaches to instruct and drill his son for hours every day, while another girl just used her dictionary and studied on her own. I know this brought back so many memories for me of the anxiety and pressure felt when standing on the stage trying to spell. (For a comedic view of spelling bees, you should see a relatively recent episode of Frasier).

Rating:
Summary: Great, because it's about more than spelling.
Review: The spelling aspect of _Spellbound_ is interesting. The kids learn words that even most highly educated people will never have any reason to know, and at any rate their skill is somewhat obsolete in the word processing age.

But what is more interesting are the kids' family backgrounds. The movie makes a strong anecdotal case for immigration: three of the kids were born of immigrant parents, two from India, one from Mexico.

The Indian father of one boy was most impressive to me. He came here from India, presumably with little or nothing, and had obviously become very wealthy. He hired tutors to review words in English, Spanish, German, and French with the boy, so he would know them all. He himself systematically reviewed 7000 to 8000 words each day with the boy. And, for good measure, he hired 1000 people to pray for the boy's victory during the Bee, and promised to feed 5000 more back in India if he won.

He had the right attitude, saying, "It is impossible to fail in this country." He added (paraphrasing now): "If you work hard, you can get rich and achieve anything." While it is not quite true that "hard" work is what will make you rich (otherwise, we should all get to work digging ditches and wait for the money to start coming in), it is true that applied effort, and smart work, will make you rich.

Various members of the university audience with which I saw the movie responded to his comments, however, with hisses. The audience also laughed in mockery of teachers who made comments such as, "I always like to see Indian students in my class because they are all so driven and hard working. I haven't had one yet who wasn't!" No doubt my fellow students were shocked by the casual utterance of this "stereotype." Of course, these teachers were simply reporting on real life experience, and not pretending, like PC academics, that members of various races and cultures don't widely share certain characteristics beyond skin color and facial structure.

Contrast the Indian man's attitude with the attitude of the mother of the black girl from Washington, DC. Rather than reflect upon the value of achievement, and doing everything in her power to help her daughter succeed, we see her instead smoking a cigarette, complaining about the economy, and complaining that the newspapers report on black crime, but don't report enough on her daughter's success.

Those who fret over the ostensible problem of Mexican immigration might be given pause by the case of the Mexican-American girl depicted here. Her parents entered the country illegally, and to this day her father apparently speaks no English. Yet there is his daughter outdoing all of her peers in their native language, and surely poised to make a positive contribution to society.

If all of that doesn't interest you, then you should just watch Spellbound because it's G-rated educational fun, and surprisingly funny. Unlike many movies you could choose, it will make you feel better about your fellow Americans, and young people in particular.

Rating:
Summary: G-R-E-A.......T
Review: This is a documentary following 8 kids who go to the National Spelling Bee. Some are optimistic, some are pesimistic. But they all want to win. This isn't really as boring as you would think. Although one kid really got on my nerves (the kid on the cover), and others were just odd, this is a great story.

There are 8 kids who are competing in the National Spelling Bee. One can spit out words like a machine, one studies 8 hours a day, and one needs medications. But, they're all good. One of them wins (I'm not going to tell you which). You'll have to figure out for yourself once you buy it. NOW.

Rating:
Summary: E-x-c-e-l-l-e-n-t movie
Review: This well-made documentary traces the backgrounds and preparation of 8 kids who made it to the National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. The movie-makers did a good job of choosing participants who were from a variety of places and backgrounds. The eight who are featured include the religious daughter of a black single mother, the son of an Indian father who hires a spelling tutor, the Hispanic daughter of a Mexican immigrant who doesn't speak English, as well as several affluent, well-supported children. The dedication of these youngsters is remarkable and the hours they put into studying are impressive. Some of the families do a better job than others at encouraging their child to be well-rounded instead of focusing totally on spelling. Some of the students are introspective, some are outgoing, but all are dedicated to winning the big prize. The film-makers do an excellent job of showing the interaction of the families and giving viewers insight into what it takes to succeed at the Spelling Bee. They pace the film well and create real suspense before the final winner is crowned. The parents of the students handle their child's defeat well and all are encouraging. The students themselves vary as to their adjustment after defeat. This is a fascinating look at the inside of an old, honored event which manages to be efficient and compassionate at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: Spells out a great movie!!
Review: Ask someone if they want to see a documentary about the spelling bee, and you will probably be greeted by something along the lines of "YUKK!" However, SPELLBOUND is an exception, and the title was a good description of how I felt afterwards.
The movie follows 8 contestants in the National Spelling Bee, starting at their local competitions. The kids are about as similar to each other as elephants are to octopi (a completely unrelated comparison, but oh well). They range from a poor African American girl to am affluent Indian boy whose family owns two houses in California.
The movie takes you right into the life of the kids, and it's almost painful to watch them agonize over the words they are given. You watch a girl's face fall as she is given "chateubriand," and another light up as she correctly spells "apocape" (pronounce ah-pah-kah-pee). And the end, which I won't reveal, shows you don't have to study obsessively to do well.

Rating:
Summary: Fact More Compelling Than Fiction
Review: If you need proof that fact is indeed more compelling than fiction, look no further than "Spellbound," a fascinating and aptly named documentary centered on that great American competition for brainiacs known as the National Spelling Bee.

In designing his film, director Jeffrey Blitz has chosen to focus on eight competitors from widely varying racial, geographical and socioeconomic backgrounds, interviewing them and their families before, during and after the competition. In the first half of the film he introduces us to each of the contestants, giving us behind-the-scenes glimpses into their home lives, their study techniques, their aspirations and their attitudes towards competition and the value of dedication and hard work. The common denominators these eight individuals all share are intelligence, drive, determination and a supportive family structure. Even though the pressure of the experience seems almost too much for any youngster to bear, all of these participants come across as levelheaded, sensible individuals who manage to keep it all in a healthy perspective. The parents, too, seem reasonable in their expectations, encouraging their children without placing undue pressure on them - and beaming with justifiable pride at their amazing progeny. Yet, for all their seeming "nerdness" and gift for articulation, Blitz makes it clear that these kids are really just kids (albeit highly gifted ones) after all.

In the second half of the film, we move to the competition itself, watching as all except one of the people we have come to know over the course of the film eventually become eliminated (Blitz had the grand good fortune of choosing the eventual winner as one of his subjects). The scenes at the competition itself provide more edge-of-the-seat suspense than a truckload of fictional Hollywood thrillers. You'll find your mind and heart racing as each child endeavors to spell out the arcane, tongue-tying words chosen by the officials for the competition. Throughout the proceedings, the audience is on as much of an emotional roller coaster as the participants and their families. As a filmmaker, Blitz knows that the human face is really a map revealing what is taking place inside our hearts and minds and this he captures with uncanny precision as the children sweat, tear up, furrow their brows and even in some cases act out their thought processes in humorously absurd muggery while formulating their answers.

"Spellbound" succeeds in its twofold purpose: to honor that commitment to competition that has defined what it means to be an American and to demonstrate that achieving in a competitive field using one's mind can be just as exciting and rewarding as achieving one's greatness on a court, field or gridiron. That's a message all too rarely conveyed by American culture.

Watching this film, you will indeed be spellbound.

Rating:
Summary: O-U-T-S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G
Review: If you tell someone that they'll be watching a documentary about spelling bees, the first thing you will hear is choral snoring. However, if you pass this one up because of it's supposedly dull subject-matter, you'll be passing up a real gem of a film.

This is the biography of eight young, intelligent, spellers from around the country. They are from varied backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common: they are terrific spellers. They have all won their regional spelling bee and moved on to the natioanl spelling bee in Washington DC. For those of you who have lost hope in the youth of today, this movie will turn you around. Each child has the work ethic and desire to do thier very best against all odds, and they all have the ability.

It's truly enjoyable to see these youngsters mature over the course of the film, right until the nailbiting finale. Very little is wrong with this film. It's an excellent documentary that I highly recommend.

Rating:
Summary: Scary good.
Review: Spellbound (Jeffrey Blitz, 2002)

Jeffrey Blitz makes his directorial debut with Spellbound, a surprisingly absorbing documentary about eight kids from disparate parts of the United States who are competing in the National Spelling Bee. The upshot is that while yo may not think of a spelling bee as a sport per se, these kids and their parents wouldn't agree with you. Training regimens, drills, even stretching before and after, it's all here, folks.

The best thing about the flick is the disparity of the eight kids. It's not just geographical, but personal as well; eight teenagers who are as radically different as Harry, who's about as ill-socialized as a child can possibly be, and Nupur, bound to win high school popularity contests. Ted, deeply uncomfortable with others and a little aggressive, and Neil, potential snake-oil salesman. Ashley, poor black kid from the ghetto, and Emily, upper-upperclass New York suburbanite. With such a variety of characters (and more!), there's such a variety of oddness going on that it almost takes on the ambience of a gruesome car accident; you can't not watch, once you're hooked. (Trust me, if none of the idiosyncracies has got you yet by the time he shows up, you will be unable to believe Harry Altman is real. One IMDB poster to claimed to be in summer camp with him in summer 2003 said "he's just as weird as ever." Weird, my friends, is the understatement of the year.)

The end result of all this is that by the time they make the final two days, the competition itself turns into a nail-biting spectacle. How could any flick make forty-five minutes of national spelling bee seem as intense as the last table at the World Series of Poker? Watch Spellbound, and you will know. ****

Rating:
Summary: Funniest Movie Ever
Review: This is by far the funniest movie I have ever seen. Although it is a documentary, the movie ends up to be a sort of parody. The entire thing reminded me of a skit they would do on Saturday Night Live.

Rating:
Summary: SpellSTUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This movie has good inspiration but it STINKS on ice! It is so stupid who wants to know about some kids in a spelling bee. This movie is very dumb.
Here is the 411:

GOOD SIDE:

If you have never seen it its good for betting against your friends & familly.
Only one kid is sort of funny because he is hyper.

BAD SIDE:

It is very boring I dont care what the other reviewers think it stinks.