| Photos (see all 22 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 3 videos ) |
| Keke Palmer | ... | Akeelah | |
| Laurence Fishburne | ... | Dr. Larabee | |
| Angela Bassett | ... | Tanya | |
| Curtis Armstrong | ... | Mr. Welch | |
| J.R. Villarreal | ... | Javier | |
| Sean Michael | ... | Dylan (as Sean Michael Afable) | |
| Sahara Garey | ... | Georgia | |
| Lee Thompson Young | ... | Devon | |
| Julito McCullum | ... | Terrence | |
| Erica Hubbard | ... | Kiana | |
| Eddie Steeples | ... | Derrick-T | |
| Dalia Phillips | ... | Ms. Cross | |
| Tzi Ma | ... | Mr. Chiu | |
| Jeris Poindexter | ... | Steve (as Jeris Lee Poindexter) | |
| Sara Niemietz | ... | Polly | |
| George Hornedo | ... | Roman | |
| Craig Wasson | ... | Ted Saunders | |
| Katie Kerwin McCrimmon | ... | Herself | |
| Marjorie Harris | ... | National Spelling Bee Head Judge | |
| Jacques Bailly | ... | National Spelling Bee Pronouncer (as Jacques Bailly, Ph.D.) | |
| Krysten Leigh Jones | ... | Tough Girl #1 | |
| Amirah Hawkins | ... | Tough Girl #2 | |
| Jeff Marlow | ... | District Judge | |
| Chloé Conroy | ... | District Pronouncer | |
| Lee Garlington | ... | Regional Judge | |
| Sidney Ganis | ... | Regional Pronouncer (as Sid Ganis) | |
| Austin Herrera Davis | ... | Cheating Boy | |
| Janet Borrus | ... | Cheating Boy's Mom | |
| Wolfgang Bodison | ... | Akeelah's Father | |
| Marcus Hawkins Dungey | ... | Chuckie | |
| Bonita Friedericy | ... | Volunteer | |
| Caroline J. Smith | ... | Mary Calveretti | |
| Neil Soni | ... | Rajeev Subramonian | |
| Jack Ong | ... | Korean Grocer | |
| Lauren Sanchez | ... | Reporter | |
| Fay Hauser | ... | Woman on TV | |
| Keshell Lucas | ... | Little Girl on TV | |
| Corina Boettger | ... | Red-Haired Girl | |
| Shyann Chatman | ... | Eighth-Grade Girl | |
| Todd Wagner | ... | Regional Bee Assistant Judge | |
| Brittany Curran | ... | District Speller #1 (as Brittany Elizabeth Curran) | |
| Alexandra Rieger | ... | District Speller #2 | |
| Eric Don | ... | Regional Speller #1 | |
| Julia Kelleher | ... | Regional Speller #2 | |
| Zac Gardner | ... | Regional Speller #3 | |
| John A. Ausick | ... | "Sacciform" Speller | |
| Maddy Kloss | ... | "Scutellate" Speller | |
| Mason Green | ... | "Longicollis" Speller | |
| Jessy J. Hwang | ... | "Ginglymus" Speller | |
| Biplab Panda | ... | "Empennage" Speller | |
| Alexander Christian Stephans | ... | "Souchong" Speller | |
| Katie L. Brown | ... | "Intussusception" Speller | |
| John Oxenreiter | ... | "Engastrimythic" Speller | |
| Katie Olson | ... | "Escharotic" Speller | |
| Jason Ortenberg | ... | "Flocculation" Speller | |
| Lance Norling | ... | Boy in Wheelchair | |
| Jmeka Cherrel | ... | Driver | |
| Kahlil Ashanti | ... | Postman | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Stephanie Hass | ... | National Spelling Bee Press Reporter (unconfirmed) | |
| D.T. Carney | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Rennie Cowan | ... | Parent (uncredited) | |
| Eric Fallecker | ... | Student (uncredited) | |
| Andrea Frisby | ... | Audience Member (uncredited) | |
| Ric Govea | ... | Extra (uncredited) | |
| Justin Rodgers Hall | ... | Parent (uncredited) | |
| Dava Hulsey | ... | Finals - Judge (uncredited) | |
| Lanaria Johnson | ... | Audience Member (uncredited) | |
| Katelyn Kowalick | ... | Additional Voice (voice) (uncredited) | |
| Kelron Mixon | ... | Audience Member (uncredited) | |
| Mishon Ratliff | ... | Additional Voice (voice) (uncredited) | |
| Justin D. Reininga | ... | Spelling Bee Audience Member (uncredited) | |
| Ashlynn Rose | ... | Additional Voice (voice) (uncredited) | |
| Sarah Sticker | ... | Audience Member (uncredited) | |
| Holly Traister | ... | Finals Judge (uncredited) | |
| Brittany M. Wildman | ... | Speller (uncredited) | |
| Kaitlyn Williams | ... | Featured Speller (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Doug Atchison | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Doug Atchison | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Jaki Brown | .... | co-producer (as Jaki Brown-Karman) | |
| Michael Burns | .... | executive producer | |
| Marc Butan | .... | executive producer | |
| Mark Cuban | .... | executive producer | |
| Laurence Fishburne | .... | producer | |
| Sidney Ganis | .... | producer (as Sid Ganis) | |
| Nancy Hult | .... | producer (as Nancy Hult Ganis) | |
| Michael Johnson | .... | associate producer | |
| Kent Kubena | .... | co-producer | |
| Danny Llewelyn | .... | producer | |
| Tom Ortenberg | .... | executive producer | |
| Michael Paseornek | .... | executive producer | |
| Dalia Phillips | .... | associate producer | |
| Michael Romersa | .... | producer | |
| Helen Sugland | .... | executive producer | |
| Mike Upton | .... | co-producer | |
| Todd Wagner | .... | executive producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Aaron Zigman | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| M. David Mullen | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Glenn Farr | |||
Casting by | |||
| Jaki Brown | |||
| Kim Coleman | |||
| Aisha Coley | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Warren Alan Young | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Shelley A. Wallace | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Julieann Getman | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Sharen Davis | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Linda Cowan | .... | key makeup artist | |
| Fay Kelly | .... | assistant hair stylist | |
| Erma Kent | .... | assistant hair stylist | |
| Edna Sheen | .... | department head makeup (as Edna M. Sheen) | |
| Kenneth Walker | .... | department head hair stylist | |
| Gigi Williams | .... | key makeup artist | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Anne Carroll | .... | additional second assistant director | |
| Rodney-Allen Hooks | .... | assistant director | |
| David K. Riebel | .... | second assistant director | |
| Chad Rosen | .... | first assistant director: additional photography | |
| Ken Twohy | .... | crowds assistant director | |
| Marvin Williams | .... | second second assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Alysia Allen | .... | art department coordinator | |
| Matthew D. Egan | .... | propmaker gangboss | |
| Bianca Ferro | .... | props | |
| Kathleen Kasinger | .... | property master | |
| Leslie Lawson | .... | painter | |
| Alicia Maccarone | .... | set designer | |
| Jocelyn Marsh | .... | assistant property master | |
| Robert 'Cass' McEntee | .... | construction coordinator | |
| Kristie Moore | .... | paint coordinator | |
| Greg Sanger | .... | leadman | |
| Grant Sawyer | .... | set dresser | |
| Angela Simpson | .... | art production assistant | |
| John Warner | .... | on-set dresser | |
Sound Department | |||
| Julie Altus | .... | adr recordist | |
| Ezra Dweck | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Shawn Kennelly | .... | foley mixer | |
| Laura Macias | .... | foley artist | |
| James Morioka | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Chris Navarro | .... | adr recordist | |
| Vince Nicastro | .... | foley artist | |
| Matthew Nicolay | .... | sound mixer | |
| Ken S. Polk | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Dean St. John | .... | adr mixer | |
| Roland N. Thai | .... | supervising sound editor | |
| Eric Thompson | .... | adr mixer | |
| Gerard Vernice | .... | sound | |
| Stacey A. Washer | .... | boom operator | |
| James Wright | .... | consultant: Dolby surround | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Mark Intravartolo | .... | compositor | |
| Mike Uguccioni | .... | visual effects supervisor | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Saeed Adyani | .... | still photographer | |
| James 'Keeper' Auld | .... | dolly grip | |
| Mark Carlile | .... | lighting technician | |
| Brian Christie | .... | grip | |
| Cooper Donaldson | .... | electrician | |
| Michael Fitzgerald | .... | epk photographer | |
| Jordan Garretson | .... | grip | |
| Brad Heiner | .... | key grip | |
| Andrew Korner | .... | additional electrician | |
| Marcos O. Lopez | .... | assistant camera | |
| Chris Mosio | .... | camera operator: "b" camera | |
| Chris Mosio | .... | director of photography: second unit | |
| David Mun | .... | assistant camera | |
| Dave Muskeni | .... | electrician | |
| Bob Myers | .... | grip | |
| Jeff Niggemeyer | .... | rigging electrician | |
| Rich Paisley | .... | gaffer | |
| Noah Peter | .... | grip | |
| Theo Pingarelli | .... | assistant camera | |
| Johnny Radzik | .... | camera operator: "a" camera | |
| Johnny Radzik | .... | steadicam operator | |
| S. Douglas Smith | .... | additional cinematographer | |
| Deron Tse | .... | additional grip | |
| Stephen L. Whitcomb | .... | camera loader | |
| William Rick Young | .... | best boy grip | |
Casting Department | |||
| Heather Sirota | .... | extras casting | |
| Eve Streger | .... | casting assistant | |
| Lamese Williams | .... | casting associate | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Yvonne Bastidos | .... | set costumer | |
| Cheryl Cravedi | .... | set costumer | |
| Meta Moise | .... | costumer | |
| Jodie Stern | .... | costumes | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Jenny Cho | .... | post-production assistant | |
| Markus Czyzewski | .... | additional editor | |
| Sue Gates | .... | digital intermediate colorist | |
| Mark McCoy | .... | post-production coordinator | |
| David Orr | .... | color timer | |
| John Scheer | .... | digital on-line editor | |
| Bob Wenokur | .... | studio post-production representative | |
Music Department | |||
| Johnny Caruso | .... | supervising music editor | |
| Howard Drossin | .... | orchestrator | |
| Josh Evans | .... | assistant score engineer | |
| Joel C. High | .... | music supervisor | |
| Tricia Holloway | .... | music team | |
| Steve Juliani | .... | music preparation | |
| Kory Kruckenberg | .... | scoring assistant engineer | |
| Eduardo Ponsdomenech | .... | music editor | |
| David Sabee | .... | orchestra contractor | |
| Michael Stern | .... | music scoring mixer | |
| Jesse Voccia | .... | composer: electronic music | |
| Sam Zeines | .... | music consultant | |
Other crew | |||
| Mary Jane Amato | .... | first assistant accountant | |
| Leland Jay Anderson | .... | assistant: Laurence Fishburne | |
| Bree Bailey | .... | assistant: Michael Paseornek | |
| Jacques Bailly | .... | technical advisor (as Jacques Bailly, Ph.D.) | |
| Cassandra Barbour | .... | rights and clearances | |
| Julie Carideo | .... | production coordinator | |
| Jason Cox | .... | production assistant | |
| Julie Cummings | .... | production assistant | |
| Jenny DeArmitt | .... | assistant production office coordinator | |
| Yon Elvira | .... | supervisor: assets and productions publicity, Lionsgate | |
| Carlo Eugster | .... | assistant: Sid Ganis | |
| Chaz Fatur | .... | production assistant | |
| Lisa Gooding | .... | legal supervisor | |
| Elaine Hall | .... | child acting coach | |
| Robert Hatter | .... | assistant: Michael Romersa & Danny Llewelyn | |
| Robyn Heath | .... | assistant: Marc Butan | |
| Dorottya Hegedus | .... | assistant: Mike Upton (as Dorottya Hegedus-Lum) | |
| Josh Holden Hume | .... | office production assistant | |
| Tracy Jackson | .... | assistant: Angela Bassett | |
| Andrew C. Keeter | .... | location manager | |
| Audrey Kendrick | .... | assistant: Helen Sugland | |
| Cody Klop | .... | adr voice | |
| Mike Kohl | .... | production assistant | |
| Jeff L. Lieberman | .... | epk producer | |
| Daniel MacArthur | .... | assistant: Donna Sloan, Lions Gate Films | |
| Danielle Mana | .... | production assistant | |
| Christopher Marlon | .... | assistant: Angela Bassett | |
| Jan McWilliams | .... | script supervisor | |
| Robert M. Melnik | .... | executive vice president of business affairs | |
| Curtis A. Miller | .... | director of production: Lions Gate Films | |
| Khanya Mkhize | .... | adr loop group | |
| Keri Moorhouse | .... | personal assistant | |
| Robert Natter | .... | assistant: Danny Lewellyn and Michael Romersa | |
| Julie Polkes | .... | publicist | |
| Michelle Pullman | .... | assistant: Jay Faires | |
| Emily Rice | .... | post-production accountant | |
| Amber N. Roy | .... | business and legal affairs | |
| Laura Sevier | .... | rights and clearances | |
| Amanda Shamis | .... | business affairs coordinator | |
| Donna Sloan | .... | senior vice president: Lions Gate Films | |
| Sean Kevin Sweeney | .... | production assistant | |
| Paul Young | .... | production assistant | |
Thanks | |||
| Amy Atchison | .... | thanks | |
| Greg Tennant | .... | thanks | |
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I went to an advance screening and found "Akeelah" to be so much more than I expected. I sat in the theater dabbing tears from eyes throughout the showing. The emotional weight, story-telling approach and female perspective in "Akeelah" is much like that of POETIC JUSTICE (also set in South Central, LA).
"Akeelah" has GREAT cast performances. As a mentor to Akeelah, Laurence Fishburne continuously reminded me of his nurturing position in BOYZ N THE HOOD - I thought of FINDING FORRESTER and THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE as well. Fishburne looks spectacular with Angela Bassett who knows all the right expressions and vocal tones to have the powerful realism she does in her role as a fearful parent in South Central. Keke Palmer, she is definitely on the rise... pretty girl too. Several strong subplots come about in the first half of "Akeelah." They deal with the painful past of Dr. Larabee (Fishburne), lack of time and attention from Akeelah's overworked mother (Bassett), a teetering relationship between Akeelah and her best friend Georgia (Sahara Garey), and the problems of one of Akeelah's brothers who spends his time out late on the streets of South Central.
Apart from the dramatic mood of "Akeelah," there's an excellent amount of comedy. Many of the jokes are in the things that aren't said but seen (watch the father of Akeelah's major opponent). The most hilarious part of the film, IMO, involves the loyalty of Akeelah's friend Javier (J.R. Villarreal) - you'll know the scene when you see it.
From a more objective standpoint, I felt that many of the scene cuts/transitions in "Akeelah" weren't too clean. I forget all about it though when I reflect on the emotional montages that center around Akeelah, her family and the people of her community. If you remember the standout poem ("our deepest fear...") recited in COACH CARTER, you might feel that "Akeelah" twice makes trite use of it. However, different lines of the poem are read this time around. The pacing of "Akeelah" is good, especially when it comes to how Akeelah learns and advances in the National Spelling Bee. "Akeelah" makes the competition look and feel suspenseful at times, but more importantly, it focuses on the rewards found by those who believe in themselves. Kids in the theater I went to were spelling aloud from the very first scene.
The ending -- I won't spoil it -- combines the pieces of humor, triumph and sadness in "Akeelah" in one of the most beautiful finishes I've ever seen, felt and heard from a movie. You MUST go see AKEELAH AND THE BEE!! You'll leave the theater highly inspired by the best word given in the film ("L-O-V-E").