Akeelah Anderson (
Keke Palmer) is a precocious eleven-year-old girl from south Los Angeles with a gift for words. Despite the objections of her mother Tanya (
Angela Bassett), Akeelah enters various spelling contests, for which she is tutored by the forthright Dr. Larabee (
Laurence Fishburne); her principal Mr. Welch (
Curtis Armstrong) and the proud residents of her neighborhood. Akeelah's aptitude earns her an opportunity to compete for a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee and in turn unites her neighborhood who witness the courage and inspiration of one amazing little girl.
A great movie. I thought the premise of "east-side girl in a spelling-bee" would be boring, but this movie manages to turn this around, run with it, and actually make it an amazing experience. 4.5/5 stars.
A must see movie for every family!