Synopsis
Akeelah is a precocious 11-year-old girl from south Los Angeles with a gift for words. Despite her mother's objections, Akeelah enters various spelling contests, for which she is tutored by the forthright Dr. Larabee, her principal Mr. Welch, 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.
Votre Filmothèque
Cast
- Keke PalmerAkeelah Anderson
- Laurence FishburneDr. Larabee
- Angela BassettTanya Anderson
- Curtis ArmstrongMr. Welch
- J.R. VillarrealJavier
- Sean Michael AfableDylan Chiu
- Sahara GareyGeorgia
- Lee Thompson YoungDevon
- Julito McCullumTerrence
- Erica HubbardKiana
Recommandations
- 90
Newsweek
Splendiferous. - 83
Entertainment Weekly
Blessed with excellent turns by Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne, this feel-gooder revels in its hip-to-be-square hyperliteracy, and neatly exceeds its own PSA-ness, practically amounting to a black, preteen "Good Will Hunting." - 80
Dallas Observer
A sweet-natured, immensely likable family film. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
Effectively anchoring the picture is Keke Palmer's lovely lead performance as Akeelah Anderson. - 70
Variety
This earnest weepie plays like "The Karate Kid" with a pro-literacy agenda, pushing all the right emotional buttons yet hitting quite a few wrong ones in the process. - 70
Village Voice
It helps that newcomer Keke Palmer nails it as the 11-year-old prodigy, avoiding cuteness and conveying more angst than all the pasty freaks in "Spellbound" combined. - 70
L.A. Weekly
While it can't have been easy to find action points for a drama about vocabulary drills, Atchison comes up with a steady stream of plot-propelling business, including Akeelah's flair for jump rope, a skill that serves her beautifully in a clinch moment. - 67
The A.V. Club
As the conceptually similar documentary "Spellbound" proved, spelling bees are innately dramatic. But that doesn't keep Atchison from constantly pushing the film toward theatrical moments instead of letting the drama arise organically from the story.
