Akeelah and the Bee
3/4 stars

This was a very enjoyable family movie about a young girl from South Central Los Angeles who becomes a neighborhood hero as she earns a spot in the National Spelling Bee. Keke Palmer is delightfully effective as Akeelah, and Angela Bassett hits the right tone as a single-mother struggling to raise her kids. At times, I was reminded of another great movie about a child prodigy, "Searching for Bobby Fischer".

Realistic or not, it was sad to see Angela Bassett smoke around Akeelah, especially since there is an infant grand-daughter in the house as well. The film earned a SmokeScreeners Rating of 4 Butts for its depiction of tobacco use. http://tinyurl.com/owc97g

Review by SmokeScreener