Professor Pfinklepfunder's $1 Sunday Family Films
Directed by Doug Atchison
With Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, Keke Palmer
Rated PG, 112 minutes, Blu-ray
Spelling bees have long been the spackling that keeps the world held together, a veritable panacea for self-doubt, broad cynicism, and unfettered pessimism. This winsome film, from the batch of spelling bee related films of the middle of the 2000s, harnesses good vibes. The film follows Akeelah, an 11-year-old girl living in South Los Angeles, with a knack for spelling, which she hopes will take her to the National Spelling Bee. Despite objections from her mother (Angela Bassett), Akeelah doesn't shelf her dictionary, using its multitudinous words as a map to her success. She finds help in the form of a mysterious teacher (Laurence Fishburne), and along with overwhelming support from her community, Akeelah might just have what it takes to make her dream come true.