A young girl from South Los Angeles tries to make it to the National Spelling Bee.
Director:
Doug AtchisonWriter:
Doug Atchison
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Title: Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
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12 wins & 14 nominations.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Keke Palmer | ... | Akeelah | |
| Laurence Fishburne | ... | Dr. Larabee | |
| Angela Bassett | ... | Tanya | |
| Curtis Armstrong | ... | Mr. Welch | |
| J.R. Villarreal | ... | Javier (as JR Villarreal) | |
| Sean Michael Afable | ... | Dylan | |
 |
Sahara Ware | ... | Georgia (as Sahara Garey) |
| 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 | |
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
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Storyline
Eleven year-old Akeelah Anderson's life is not easy: her father is dead, her mom ignores her, her brother runs with the local gangbangers. She's smart, but her environment threatens to strangle her aspirations. Responding to a threat by her school's principal, Akeelah participates in a spelling bee to avoid detention for her many absences. Much to her surprise and embarrassment, she wins. Her principal asks her to seek coaching from an English professor named Dr. Larabee for the more prestigious regional bee. As the possibility of making it all the way to the Scripps National Spelling Bee looms, Akeelah could provide her community with someone to rally around and be proud of -- but only if she can overcome her insecurities and her distracting home life. She also must get past Dr. Larabee's demons, and a field of more experienced and privileged fellow spellers. Written by Shannon Patrick Sullivan <shannon@mun.ca>
Plot Keywords:
spelling | spelling bee | national spelling bee | school principal | middle school |Taglines:
Changing the world... one word at a time.Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
28 April 2006 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Akeelah and the Bee See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$8,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$6,011,585, 30 April 2006Gross USA:
$18,848,430Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$18,948,425Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Dr. Larabee: Yes, which is also sometimes confused with being naturally obnoxious.
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Written by Xocoyotzin Herrera
Performed by Francisco Javier González & José Zuñiga
Courtesy of LMS Records/Latin Music Specialists
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The filmmakers initially considered Sidney Poitier to play Dr. Larabee before deciding they wanted someone younger, and then selected Laurence Fishburne. See more »Goofs
During the Crenshaw Middle School spelling bee they say Akeelah is in 8th grade, but after Akeelah wins the regional spelling bee the reporter says she is in 7th grade. See more »Quotes
Akeelah: I'm naturally inquisitive.Dr. Larabee: Yes, which is also sometimes confused with being naturally obnoxious.
See more »
Soundtracks
El indio y el vaqueroWritten by Xocoyotzin Herrera
Performed by Francisco Javier González & José Zuñiga
Courtesy of LMS Records/Latin Music Specialists
See more »
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This morning a saw a screening of "Akeelah and the Bee". I am 55 years of age and will be sending movie tickets to both my daughters age 24 and 26 so they can cry as did. What a wonderful family movie....... I thought they stopped making movies like this many years ago. This movie instilled the fact their is hope in the movie industry. Take your friends and definitely your family. It will bring you all together and even show adults that we can still all learn lessons in life!! This movie will definitely be added to my DVD collection once it is released. I recommend this movie to everyone!!
Murray David Collins