Synopsis
This documentary follows 8 teens and pre-teens as they work their way toward the finals of the Scripps Howard national spelling bee championship in Washington D.C.
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Recommendations
- 100
Premiere
While it may be excruciating to watch a speller miss a word by a letter, it's just as exciting to watch another kid jump the hurdle. - 90
The New York Times
Enough drama, humor and unfiltered nail-biting suspense to put all the thrill-mongering screenwriters in Hollywood to shame. - 90
Washington Post
Just might be the most action-packed suspense thriller of the summer. - 90
Slate
The movie becomes a nail-biter, the audience hanging on every letter. Who could have anticipated that a spelling competition would yield such a heartbreaking thriller? - 89
Austin Chronicle
As good, old-fashioned dorkfests go, it doesn't get much better than the National Spelling Bee, with its arcane words, bespectacled competitors, and stinging little bell. - 88
Chicago Tribune
Boasts all of the drama and suspense of any reality TV show, but it actually stars smart people. And they're kids. - 80
Wall Street Journal
More to the point of this marvelous film, who knew there were kids as heroic, in their various ways, as these valiant super-spellers? - 70
New York Magazine (Vulture)
Entertaining documentary.
