Rating: 
Summary: I-AM-A-MUSICAL-ROBOT!
Review: This extraordinary documentary follows eight youngsters as they prepare for the 1999 annual National Spelling Bee. If you've ever watched it on ESPN, then you've seen the unique spellers who often last to the final stages. "Spellbound" highlights brilliantly the ways in which these youngsters and their families are exceptional. The eight youngsters, their families, and their hometowns are profiled separately; these narratives are by turns funny, inspiring, and heart-wrenching. Among the more amazing stories is Angela Arevivar, whose parents came to the U.S. illegally from Mexico and don't speak English. Her father, however, sees clearly that Angela's success justifies leaving his home country, and he accompanies her proudly to the bee. Aside from these emotionally resonant stories, young Harry Altman nearly steals the show with his wacky humor, including his bizarre imitation of a musical robot. After introducing the youths and their families, the documentary accounts the actual bee. The tension is nearly unbearable when the spellers are given a difficult word, and seeing them eliminated is heart-wrenching. The documentary swells to a remarkable finale, due to the skillful editing by Yana Gorskaya and the debut work of director, Jeffrey Blitz. In addition, "Spellbound" is filled with amazing triumphs and heart-breakers. Hearing Ashley White's single, disadvantaged mother explain that the greatest moment of her life was seeing her daughter crowned champion at the city spelling bee is sure to leave a lump in your throat. Another warm moment is when a mother discusses how her child is somewhat of an outcast in her school but that she's popular at the bee. These children have managed to find ways of belonging and succeeding despite their quirks, which elevates further the amazing nature of their accomplishments. "Spellbound" was Oscar-nominated for best documentary in 2003, losing to the flashier but less deserving "Bowling for Columbine." A truly excellent documentary exposes fundamental truths about us or our nation, and "Spellbound" certainly passes this litmus test. By following youngsters from a variety of backgrounds, nothing short of the American Dream is revealed. Ultimately, "Spellbound" is fantastic and perhaps the most touching and profound documentary of its kind since "Hoop Dreams." A most highly recommended film experience! Extras: 1) Biographies and "where are they now" information for each speller. 2) A fascinating commentary featuring the director, producer, and editor. 3) Synopses of three spelling bee contestants who were not featured in the final cut of the documentary. The stories of these three spellers are probably not as compelling as the eight youngsters highlighted in the main documentary, although young Bradley Feldman's unrequited crush on his teen-aged spelling coach is terrific.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie! Intense, Fun & Heart Warming!
Review: This is a great movie about some wonderful hard working kids! Watch it and you will be inspired!!
Rating:
Summary: Professional competition among kids
Review: Every year people across USA get to watch live the National Spelling Bee competition, which gathers the 249 "lucky" kids who survived from the total of 9 million who started the path. This movie presents the journey of eight kids to get to the Nationals, how their peers, parents and teachers react and how these children manage to handle the pressure. One of the thoughts I had when I was watching this movie was how difficult it must be for some of these kids to live with the high expectations their inner circle imposes upon them. Of course, the burden is a lot heavier in some cases than in others, but in all the examples shown, one gets the idea that the level of nervousness is a lot higher than in any other activity the children may participate in. For example, in the case of football, there may be situations in a game in which a player is under pressure, but this usually does not last long, the kid has the support from other teammates and the responsibility shifts among players. In the case of the spelling bee, one mistake and it's over! In some cases the expectations of the fathers are tremendous. Neil spells 7,000 to 8,000 words a day when he is close to a competition. His mother comments: "When you fight in a war everybody has the same goal". His father tutors him when he can, and pays for several tutors, one for each different root language. In my opinion this can only be detrimental for Neil, and you can see his fear every time he has to go up to the microphone and spell. On the other hand, you have kids like Harry, who is very talkative and joking all the time, plays the guitar and studies spelling only one hour to one and a half hours per day. I enjoyed this movie because I think it may present a reality check for a lot of parents that have their kids in spelling competitions. The message I got from it was that if you keep an attitude that allows the kid to have fun while learning and doing the best he can, then you and your kid will be a lot happier than if you impose the competition as a job (or allow the child to take it that way). For those of you that enjoyed watching the National Spelling Bee in the past, this will be an opportunity to view the highlights of the 1999 finals again. Whether you are interested in the effects that the competition have on the children or in the excitement of this contest, this is a movie that you will enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Suprisingly damn involving doc.
Review: Who knew a documentary about kids going to a nationals spelling bee could be so intense? The film follows 8 kids as they talk about their lives and prepare for the nationals level spelling bee. As it goes on, you definitely start rooting for some of these young'uns to win, and find yourself shouting at the screen things like..."E..its an E not an I you idiot!" and generally behaving like the sports fans I like to ridicule for the same behavior *blush*. Well filmed and efficient. The director does not bog us down for too long in any one place, and when it is over, it feels like it was much shorter than it actually was. The extras on the disc shows a "Where are they now?" feature for all the kids that is interesting to check out.
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING !!!!!
Review: This was a wonderful movie/documentary that was inspirational-- simple yet profound. It was the kind of movie that I can and have recommended to everyone I talk to. I loved the way each of the eight main characters, a diverse group, were introduced and how the viewers were shown the way these students were preparing for the spelling bee. I found a couple of things unsettling, like the *personality* of the home-schooled child and the stage-father who was having his son tutored for 4-6 hours a day. But I know that this was realistic, not manufactured for the audience. A wonderful viewing experience for old, young, and in-between.
Rating:
Summary: Heka Kool!!!
Review: I luved this muvie!!! Thes kids are heka smart! They realy no how to compet and be tuff! This muvie will make yu wish yu did that speling stuff insted of playing varsity sports al the tim!!! But I onli get a headake from hits and tackels! Not from thinking! Congratulashens kids!!!
Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding
Review: There's no cheating in the highly organized National Spelling Bees, but there's plenty of excitement. There also are lessons to be learned, as when one proud, involved parent says, "What is valuable in life that is easy to achieve? Nothing." He says that not to his child, by the way, but to the documentary film crew.
Director Jeffrey Blitz underscores some segments of the competition with music, which is the only needless move he makes. The live ESPN telecast enhances the drama precisely because of the excruciating sound of silence. Some kids will stretch their allotted time to infinity rather than risk uttering one false letter. That's all it takes to plummet from the competition - one I-before-E when it should have been the other way around. One "-able" when "-ible" was the right call.
There are so many differences among the eight contestants. you don't end up rooting for one kid over another. You root for them all, and as they fall one by one, you feel their pain, even as you note their pride.
More than one child, and more than one parent, talk about the spelling bee being one place where these gifted children freely and fully fit in.
Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding
Review: A bunch of kids competing to be the best spellers in the world... To some it may sound like a boring premise, but to me this is one of the stand-out films of the last couple of years. Why? Like a chess tournament, a billiard tournament, or some other highly specialized sport, spelling tournaments are not just a contest, but the culmination of years of training that have been dedicated to a very unique talent. However you slice it, the ability to spell thousands of words correctly is more than just neat ability, it is a rare gift that can take countless hours of work to perfect. This wonderful film takes you into the minds and hearts of one year's worth of the best child spellers in the United States. Some of them are poor, some of them are rich. Some of them serious, some of them are silly. But all of them are intriguing, and you are sure to find yourself rooting for one of them to win (that is, if you don't know the outcome already). There are countless great moments in this short movie, from the image of a dictionary that has been literally SHREDDED from use, to the loveable Harry asking if he can eat the microphone, from the girl asking if Corollary has anything to do with a Corolla, to nail-biting moments when you KNOW that the kids have no idea if they are spelling the word right or not. But the ultimate reason why I love this movie is the insight and inspiration it gives as you see how all kinds of kids from all kinds of backgrounds give their all in order to become the best that they possibly can, and show their talent to the world. I'll never forget what that little girl from Washington D.C. said to the cameraman "My life is like a movie...I have trials and tribulations, and eventually I overcome." We should all have such a spirit. This is a GREAT movie. And it's not BASED on a true story, it IS a true story.
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Summary: Featured Speller's Website
Review: A-W-E-S-O-M-E documentary! Check out one of the featured speller's website: www.angelainspellbound.com
Rating:
Summary: spell oscar
Review: I've recommended "Spellbound" to friends more than most of the movies of 2003. I've always like watching the annual spelling finals on ESPN, and this documentary is fun for the same reasons. You find yourself picking favorites from the group and really pulling for them. And, like "Bowling for Columbine" from 2002, this speaks of the American experience. Watching a documentary is always different from watching a regular feature, but "Spellbound" is still very much worth seeing.
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