I have the fortunate experience of driving into work every morning with my wife. She started working at the same company almost two years ago, and it's been terrific. Being able to have lunches together and use the HOV lane has made life sweet. But there is also the bad. Almost every morning we stop in at the Starbuck's in our building to have her caffeine and my Bananas & Crème fixes. One morning, while handing over our first born to pay, I noticed a CD for sale on the counter. It was a soundtrack for a movie called "Akeelah and the Bee." Not having heard of it, I decided to do a little digging. I found that it was a new film coming out that was, in part, produced by Starbuck's. It wasn't enough that people were putting second mortgages on their houses in order to get 'trendy' coffee, but now they were getting into the film business? Having spent my last few dollars at a Starbuck's, I couldn’t afford to see the movie in theatres. So I opted to wait until it was released on DVD.

"Akeelah and the Bee" turned out to be one of those 'feel-good' movies about a kid who overcomes all obstacles to be the best they can be. In this case, it is the ultra-competitive world of Spelling Bees.

Fortunately, I love those 'feel good' movies, especially when the plot involves a competition I'm interested in. I've always rather been into Spelling Bees because I used to compete when I was younger (though you'd never guess it by my constant string of typos…), though never to a level that went outside of my school. I was a good speller, but not a champion speller. I never even realized how incredibly competitive it was until I watched "Spellbound" a couple of years ago. This extraordinary documentary made me feel both excited and sorry for some of the kids. It’s a tough world, made even tougher by overbearing parents.

"Akeelah and the Bee" tells the story of a young girl Keke Palmer) living in South Central L.A. with her single mom (Angela Bassett). Akeelah is an exceptionally bright girl, but tries to hide it by skipping out of classes, because she doesn’t want to be shunned by her friends. Despite her best efforts, her school's principal (Curtis Armstrong) recognizes Akeelah's potential and convinces her to enter some Spelling Bees. She winds up under the tutelage of an English professor (Laurence Fishburne) who thinks she might have what it takes to go all the way to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

To be honest, it's as formulaic as they come, but the terrific performances by the cast help raise the movie above the typical 'underdog makes good' plot. Fishburne and Bassett turn in performances far stronger than anything they've had the opportunity to do lately, and Palmer is no doubt headed for superstardom if this role is any example. Curtis Armstrong, despite his huge list of credits, is still best known as Booger from the "Revenge of the Nerds" films. But here he turns in a very strong dramatic role.

Lion's Gate has released a DVD for "Akeelah and the Bee", which includes a lengthy "Making of…" featurette. This mini-documentary features interviews from most of the cast and crew, including those who are real-life spelling bee competitors. This is followed up by some shorter featurettes which compare Palmer to director Doug Atchison and shows some behind the scenes footage of them working together. You'll also find a handful of deleted scenes, a short gag reel and even a music video for a song by Keke Palmer (not really my style…).

"Akeelah and the Bee" is a wonderful film, and reminds me a little of another favorite of mine "Looking for Bobby Fischer." Both are movies that everyone complains about Hollywood not making any more of, then doesn’t bother going to see them when it does.

Directed by: Doug Atchison
Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Keke Palmer, Curtis Armstrong
Extras: Making of Akeelah and the Bee, Two Peas in a Pod, Inside the Mind of Akeelah, Keke Palmer "All My Girls" Music Video, Gag Reel, Deleted Scenes
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
Studio: Lions Gate
Release Date: 8/29/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website

We'll give Akeelah and the Bee a B+.