Rotten
Its cliches seem bigger and its characterisations broader than they would on the more forgiving telly.
Jessica Winter, Time Out
Akeelah and the Bee
Changing the world... one word at a time.
2006 · 1h 53m · PG
Drama
Directed by
Doug Atchison
Overview
11-year-old Akeelah Anderson has a way with words. After winning her schoolwide spelling bee, she decides to enter the competition, despite her classmates' derision and the antipathy of her mother Tanya. Thanks to the efforts of her teacher Dr. Larabee, she reaches the finals. As she gets to know her fellow competitors, Akeelah realizes that coming first isn't everything in life.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
86%
Tomatometer
Fresh
... it's easy to overlook that contrivance, because the movie's heart is so clearly in the right place.
Claudia Puig, USA Today
Rotten
The latest spelling bee movie is a Starbucks Entertainment product, and it has a made-to-order feel about it, kind of like a compilation album.
Susan Walker, Toronto Star
Fresh
Keke Palmer, who's been working in television and movies for the past few years, is a natural on screen.
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
Fresh
It's the kind of movie parents will want their kids to see as opposed to much of what's playing at the multiplex.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
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