Inspiring drama about a young spelling champ has swearing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Language
some
Infrequent profanity and put-downs: "s--t," "ass," "hell," "damn," "freak," "idiot," and "turd juggler." Adults disparage kids as a "little Black girl" and an "uppity" Chinese American kid (not to their faces).
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Starbucks (marketing tie-in with film named in the opening credits). ESPN shown and mentioned as the channel that broadcasts the National Spelling Bee each year. Main characters play Scrabble in multiple scenes.
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
A positive character smokes a cigarette. Another drinks a whiskey on the rocks (but doesn't act drunk).
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Two girls bully Akeelah for being a "brainiac." They start to push and shove her before the principal steps in. Brief conversations about the death of family members: a dad killed in neighborhood gun violence, a daughter by disease. An adult claps his hands loudly to get his son's attention during an argument (Akeelah overhears and jumps at the sound). Implied gang members are initially portrayed as menacing but are quickly won over and support Akeelah.
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Middle schoolers kiss each other on the cheek. One worries, "you going to sue me for sexual harassment?" (It's lighthearted, and both characters are smiling/laughing, but kids might wonder about it.)
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Be yourself, even if it means you might not fit into what society expects of you. A quote from Marianne Williamson about not being afraid to live at your fullest potential is a centerpiece of the film. The power of a community to rally and help one of their own find success is shown throughout. Additional themes include courage, self-control, and perseverance.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Through practice for the spelling bee and the support of friends and family, Akeelah finds her inner strength and overcomes self-doubt. Javier is a wonderful friend, risking his own victory to give Akeelah a fair shot at the trophy. Dr. Larabee has a strict exterior but is caring and supportive, even as he works through his own personal grief. The residents of Crenshaw, Los Angeles, rally around Akeelah to help her win.
Diverse Representations
a lot
Main character is an ultra-smart Black girl, and most of the supporting characters -- including her mother (Angela Bassett), brothers, and coach (Laurence Fishburne) -- are also Black. Spelling bee competitors Javier Mendez and Dylan Chu are Mexican American and Chinese American, respectively. Socioeconomic differences play a major role, as Akeelah attends underfunded Crenshaw Middle School but goes head-to-head with wealthy Woodland Hills students. Though Dylan and his strict father have redeemed storylines, they fall into stereotypes as an overachieving East Asian child with a "tiger parent," and Dylan is even described as "a little robot" by Akeelah's coach.
Kids can learn about the public school system, academic competition, and some of the tricks and linguistic tips used by champion spellers.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Akeelah and the Bee is a feel-good movie that centers on Akeelah (Keke Palmer), a spelling prodigy from a poor neighborhood in South Los Angeles. Expect a bit of strong language, including "s--t," "ass," "hell," and "damn." Middle schoolers kiss each other on the cheek, one character smokes, and another drinks whiskey on the rocks. Themes include being yourself instead of trying to fit in. Characters cope with extreme loss: A couple of sad conversations recall the deaths of loved ones (one by gun violence, another by disease) and divorce. Characters lie to protect loved ones and must make amends. In a couple of scenes, a mother and daughter argue. Though written and directed by a White filmmaker, the movie has an inclusive cast of almost all Black main characters, plus supporting roles for Mexican American and Chinese American characters -- but it does stereotype East Asians as overly focused on academics (a main character calls the Chinese American student "a little robot"). To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Akeelah and the Bee is one of the best movies I have ever watched in my life, the pacing, energy and motivation was without doubt excellent.
The movie started with an 11-year-old Afro American girl who lost her father to a murder at the age of six but the memory of playing a game with him called scramble has really instil in her the exceptional ability to recognize words and spell them , struggling through different pressure from bullies and her bother who was an hooligan and her traumatized mother were factors that reduced herself- esteem.
She was an highly intelligent, low self esteem student who was bullied at school, she went through it all and was fortunate to meet a coach, Mr Larabee, who also had a tragic past, but an exceptional Doctor who helped to bring the best out of her, she struggled with her new face of life with competitions and other white kids but she proved the bullies wrong, she made a reality that the trauma and tragic past might persist but success can be attained, this movie is a compilation hardwork, perseverance, diligence and inspiration to those who a struggling with bullies and need help.
It also shows that intelligence has to be guided and properly pruned to result in excellence, because even though she was intelligent she had to go under teaching and proper tutelage to become exceptional, The movie shows love and community support, her community were very awesome at supporting her training, I also appreciate how her school teacher and principle encouraged her to participate in the spelling bee, even though she was reluctant at first. To the last ending part which was the competition, it shows the importance of hardwork and teamwork, and a union and unity between black children and the white, it was a very exciting moment for me when I discovered, the tie was possible and both kids made it to the final round and they were both winners.
Akeelah and the bee was a well balanced movie with, little humour, excitement, suspense and motivation, the only moment I thought they might have changed was when there was a kiss on the cheek, it might not be of acceptance to some parents, but a very fantastic movie overall.
For this movie, I will vehemently recommend it to children, teenagers and adults who really movies that are made not just for entertainment this is a movie that expresses core values, determination, diligence, inspiration and the power of mentor-ship and guidance, It shows that success can be achieved even though, there might be some tragic background and events in our life.
Watch this movie! My 5 year old called it “a little boring”, but my 10 year old loved it. Great messages and a strong female lead. Seriously, you should watch this movie today.
What's the Story?
AKEELAH AND THE BEE traces the delicate, courageous process of a little girl's growing up. Akeelah (Keke Palmer) is a resolute 11-year-old with a gift for spelling. Trying to fit in with her classmates at a middle school in Los Angeles' Crenshaw district, she misses her father (who was killed by gun violence when she was 6) and doesn't see enough of her hardworking mother, Tanya (Angela Bassett). After Akeelah wins a class-wide bee, her principal (Curtis Armstrong) decides that she should compete: He wants to promote the school, but he's also drawn to the earnestness of this brilliant girl who isn't being challenged enough by her underfunded school system. With the help of imposing professor Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne) and her new friend, Javier (J.R. Villarreal), Akeelah faces off against rival Dylan Chu (Sean Michael Afable) on their journey to becoming Scripps National Spelling Bee champions.
In large part, this film's delights have to do with Palmer's winning performance, most apparent in one-on-one scenes with her mom or coach. But Akeelah and the Bee also has something else going on: Embracing the conventions that make so many other genre films feel stale, director Doug Atchison tweaks them slightly with fun details, such as the way Akeelah taps out letters on her thigh with her fingers or sees the letters in her head as she jumps rope. Overall, the film's earnest messages of perseverance and sportsmanship are hard to refute. And feel-good scenes of a low-income neighborhood rallying around a prodigal daughter make this a charming watch.
Akeelah and the Bee may be too familiar of a sports narrative -- and too shallow to offer any real commentary on how Black children can thrive in an underfunded public school system -- but it does deliver a heaping dose of "Black girl magic" for older kids and tweens.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the importance of pursuing your interests and dreams. How does Akeelah's success in Akeelah and the Bee inspire others to feel part of a group, as her spelling becomes a community project?
How is the issue of overly competitive parents addressed in the film? Do the examples feel realistic, or are they oversimplified?
How does Akeelah's school contrast with the suburban school she visits to practice spelling and hang out with her new friends?
How do the characters in Akeelah and the Bee demonstrate courage, self-control, and perseverance? Why are these important character strengths?
Are there clichés in this movie about poor Black residents living in South Los Angeles? Or are Black characters complex enough that they don't feel like stereotypes? What about Javier Mendez and Dylan Chu: Do they fall into Latino or Asian stereotypes?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
