Rating: 
Summary: Real Life Drama
Review: Watching a movie about 250 junior high students attempting to spell words most of us have never heard of sounds crazy, but Spellbound does just what a good documentary should do - it perfectly captures the drama, tension, and emotions of these contestants and their families. As a parent of a three-time contestant in the National Spelling Bee, I can assure you that this movie really does capture the intensity of the event. From competing in local, regional, and the National Bees, it shows it all. "I won the school bee last year. What if I goof and fail?" "I won the regional bee last year. Everyone expects me to repeat. What if I get a word I don't know?" "Now that I made it to Washington, will I do better than last year?" The trememdous pressure on the spellers, both internal and external, shows through in this film. You will find yourself cheering for each speller as the field is whittled down from 250 to only one winner.
Rating:
Summary: One of thought.
Review: Spellbound is a gem of a movie. It does not have sex,violence,or bad language to reel people into the movie. To most people this movie would sound boring. But to somebody this movie was a thriller. If you have ever been to the scripps howard notional spelling bee you owe it to yourself to see this movie. I have been to the national spelling be twice and i will probably go there again this year this movie made me feel the same jittereyness i had when i was spelling. The whole movie is nail biting fun but when that one person wins (wink wink) you will be cheering for them. Remember me when I win the next spelling bee.
Rating:
Summary: This is a great, entertaining, emotionally satisfying movie.
Review: Spellbound is that brightest of gems: A terrific, engaging movie with no sex, violence, bad language, or even a massive sociological message. Just a small but involving story, told with light-hearted humour and surprising moments of emotional connection that's as purely positive a filmgoing experience as I can think of. This movie also shows that you don't need eye candy to have a great film. The grainy shooting, often muddy sound and slightly wobbly camera in no way detract from the movie. The filmmakers are so good at capturing what's happening and their subjects are so interesting that all technical aspects become moot -- as they well should be. At the heart of the movie are the eight kids in the competition, all of them marvelous characters. The filmmakers did a superb job diversifying the subject, for if Spellbound had been merely a documentary about a spelling bee, it would inevitably have fallen into repetitiveness. Instead, it succeeds in sketching out eight character studies before sending them on their central journey, and we respond to and are sympathetic to them along the way. And the moments of emotional connection are both surprising and touching: When one contestant (no spoiler) cries in her mother's arms after nerves got her eliminated early in the bee; when a zealous father clasps his hands in prayer at his son's hesitation on the stage; when a father and mother have to leave the auditorium because they can't bear the suspense. If you were to describe the situations outside of the film's context they might sound too small and insignificant to make great cinema, but the film lends such a sympathetic and detailed eye -- and the people themselves have such a good sense of humour -- that you'll find yourself drawn to them. And the kids -- an entertaining bunch: The obsessive, serious Neil, the nihilistic Ted; hyperactive oddball Harry; precocious, articulate Emily, whose sardonic remarks are achingly hilarious; shy, pessimistic April. After their introduction, I felt like they were kids living on my street, and I became more attached to them than I do to most movie characters or documentary subjects. This is the kind of film we need more of. No tricks, no flash, and no huge fiery set pieces; just a very well-told story with deep-reaching characters and an inexorable forward narrative whose pacing leaves most blockbusters in the dust. Essential viewing!
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling!!
Review: It is hard for me to express how much I loved this movie. I'm all for escapism, drama, or eye candy in movies. However, this film is a perfect example of how the experiences of real people can be just as compelling. The kids each have distinct personalities and differing reasons for participating in the National Spelling Bee. Watching them interact with their family, and discuss what the competition means to them is charming. Hearing the expectations of the parents is at times amusing, other times infuriating. Once you get to the actual competition in Washington, you feel for these kids so much that it ends up being nerve-wracking and intense even for the theater audience. If you see one movie this summer, don't make it another soulless special-effects behemoth. Spellbound is where the real drama is to be found.
Rating: 
Summary: Can you spell "The American Dream"?
Review: "Spellbound" followed eight kids, winners of their regional spelling bees, as they participate in the nation-wide contest. The filmmakers deliberately choose the most diverse possible group of kids: one kid's dad is a Mexican immigrant, one African-American kid who grew up in a single-parent family in D.C., two Indian children of immigrants striving for the American "good life," one kid's dad owns a bar in the Rust Belt, one kid comes from a well-to-do family in Connecticut, one from rural Missouri, etc. Because of this set of kids, the movie's theme becomes something like "the American Dream," the idea that anyone with enough pluck and determination can achieve perfection - even if "only" in spelling. There's something pure about their ambition; even if being a great speller doesn't get you Great Places in life, these students work sheerly for the sense of accomplishment it brings, not for the wordly rewards. In the hands of less capable filmmakers, this film could have been condescending rather than uplifting. Actually, it toys with condescension in some places: the rich kid seems a little out of touch, the Indian kids seem particularly competitive, not one but both Midwestern kids are celebrated in their hometowns by signs at their schools--that are MIS-spelled. But fundamentally the makers liked the kids, and this affection will send you out of the theater with a smile on your face.
Rating:
Summary: Enthralling, compelling look at an American institution
Review: There was plenty of material to make an interesting and charming film about eight youngsters who made it to the 1999 National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. What is unexpected in Spellbound is the collective power of the individual snapshots of these very different children. The eight featured contestants come from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds. While one rides public transportation to the Bee another chatters about whether or not to bring her au pair to this year's contest. There are children whose fathers speak no English, and others apparently without custodial fathers at all. All are linked by a drive and desire to excel, much of which comes from whatever family they have. More than one parent talks of the National Spelling Bee as a microcosm for America itself, the land of opportunity, where any child conceivably has the chance to reach the top. The latter half of the film, following the progress of the Bee itself, is almost unbearably suspenseful as the viewer has gotten to know the children and their families as individual human beings. If there is any one film that families should see this year it is this one, for the quiet lessons it conveys about America and the human condition as well as for the engrossing drama it encapsulates.
Rating:
Summary: A Spellbinding Film About What Makes America Great
Review: This is an absolutely marvelous film. My five star rating indicates that it is in the same class as the best films that I have seen this year, not just that it is a superior documentary. Director Jeffrey Blitz had the insight to recognize that the documentary format could be utilized to examine his subject in a surprising dramatic way. In my opinion this movie deserved the Academy Award in the documentary category and the resultant attention that would have resulted, but hopefully the word of mouth will be strong enough to make a wider audience aware of it. The subject is very simple, the high pressure competition to become the winner of the National Spelling Bee. The competition begins at the local level and culminates with 249 regional winners competing in Washington, D.C. for the championship title and the $10,000 prize. The film focuses on eight of the competitors. It interviews them and their families (and in some cases their local classmates and competitors, teachers and others who know them well) and follows them as they proceed through the competition. We get to laugh with them (and there are many very funny moments) and share their tension and their tears. We see them miss the simple but unknown words as well as the long and difficult words and you find out that they can ask about the derivation and the meaning if they feel that will help them, so foreign language skills are also important. Their eight stories are wonderfully diverse and often inspiring and enchanting. Several are the children of immigrants and they are representative of the melting pot of America - black, Caucasian, Asian and Mexican. Some have very successful parents and others come from single parent homes of very modest means. Some are home schooled, several are enrolled in their local public schools, and some have the advantage of private schooling (and extensive tutoring for the competition) while one parent does not even speak English. A few have previously been to the national competition (or have siblings who advanced that far) and we wonder if perhaps those experiences might provide an advantage. Among other rules, we learn that the participants can be up to fourteen years old but cannot have graduated from eighth grade, so the students who are more advanced academically have to compete at an earlier age. These kids are a true cross section of America who share one goal - to be crowned the champion at the end of the competition. Their dedication and intensity is inspiring in light of the fact that they know that as in most competitive endeavors there will ultimately be only one champion. Before the movie is over, we are also treated to reminiscences by several of the previous winners including the winner of the original competition in 1925. This film clearly illustrates the joy of victory and the agony of defeat. But it does so much more - it is of course a mystery (as we wait to see who will ultimately win) and also a very moving and sometimes emotional film in which the audience finds it easy to identify with the participants and their parents. We worry about the fact that maybe the playing field isn't level - sophisticated coaching and tutuoring in some cases versus relatively simple and naive practice methods in other instances. But each contestant is determined to do his/her best and willing to take the chance of suffering disappointment. Thus they all seem to emerge as winners in the end, even as they come to understand the major role that chance often plays at crucial times as revealed by the comment "Maybe I could have won, I knew the spelling of every single word that was asked except for the one that I had to spell". So, when you want to have an uplifting experience, see this film. The ninety-five minutes fly by and you will undoubtedly be moved as several members of the immigrant families explain that this opportunity is the essence of America and indicative of why they wanted to raise their families here.
Rating:
Summary: Under the spell of unusual words.
Review: In 1996 and 1997, I was a nervous parent watching my daughter compete in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Therefore, I had a personal interest when I went to see the Oscar nominated documentary, "Spellbound," directed by Jeffrey Blitz. Blitz does what every good documentary filmmaker tries to do. He personalizes his subject. By focusing on eight competitors from different parts of the United States, from a variety of ethnic groups, and from different social classes, Blitz engages the audience's interest in the individual contestants. From Angela, the Mexican-American daughter of a laborer who speaks no English, to Emily, the privileged daughter of wealthy parents, we get a close look at the hometowns, the family lives and the personalities of these eight bright and ambitious kids. "Spellbound" enchants because of its great storytelling, its sharp editing, its humor and its celebration of a piece of Americana. In an age of high-speed computers, digital cameras and PDA's, it is quaint and enchanting to observe children who still regard the written word with reverence. Are the parents too pushy? Undoubtedly. Is there an element of child abuse in putting kids through this torture? Perhaps. However, no matter how you look at it, all of the contenders are terrific kids and Jeff Blitz has done a wonderful job of bringing their stories to life.
Rating:
Summary: as good or better than any christopher guest movie
Review: if you enjoy christopher guests' pseudo-documentaries, you will love this movie. there are many unintentionally funny moments and situations, sometimes as bizarre and loopy as the aforementioned director's movies. jeffrey blitz' direction and yana gorskaya's editing keep the pace of the movie high. the camera work capture and magnify the emotions of the characters so you cannot help but empathize. the movie follows eight kids competing in the national spelling bee in washington, DC. the kids come from a variety of backgrounds and have very different personalities. the goal, of course, is to win the contest. however, the nuances in what winning represents to each one is very enlightening to see. you will find yourself rooting for one or more of these kids as they prepare themselves to go up against 250 competitors, each a champion in their city/district/region. you will find yourself spelling alongside them in each round (just make sure to keep your voice down). or amazed at their ability to spell even the most obscure word. these elements of the movie definitely add to the suspense and the involvement for the audience.
Rating:
Summary: outstanding
Review: This little documentary is a humane masterpiece--I'll be buying it the instant it comes out on DVD. The children are endearing and fascinating, and their families are so revealing. This film could be profitably used in the junior high or high school classroom as a springboard for discussion of any number of things--individual learning styles, the value (or not) of competition, goal-setting and the drive to be the best, accepting those who are different, what it means to be an immigrant, etc. The film should also be seen by any person who is or intends to be a language arts teacher for this age group, because for many of these students, the teacher was very involved in the process, and we get to meet several of them as the film progresses. Great, great documentary.
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