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Rating of
1.5/4
donkeyknight - wrote on 05/02/2011
There are some shining moments (the spelling of the final word, every line delivered by Angela Basset), but overall, there's an over-reliance on one-dimensional stereotypes and an oversimplified plot.
Rating of
2.5/4
PsychoKing1227 - wrote on 04/12/2010
A sparkling film, though not necessarily the most uplifting nor the film with the best pace.
Rating of
3/4
SmokeScreener - wrote on 05/31/2009
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
Rating of
3.5/4
goodfellamike - wrote on 10/29/2008
Winning, uplifting family drama about the struggle to believe in oneself; Keke Palmer is wonderfully emphatic as Akeelah and the cliches hardly get in the way at all. Final Grade: B+
