Akeelah and the Bee
Director: Doug Atchison
Cast: Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishbourne, Angela Bassett, J.R. Villarreal, Sean Michael Afable, Erica Hubbard
Akeelah (played by Keke Palmer), an 11-year-old girl living in South Los Angeles, discovers she has a gift for spelling words, which she hopes will take her to the National Spelling Bee. Despite her mother's objections, Akeelah does not give up on her dream. She gains a mentor in the form of a mysterious teacher, and along with overwhelming support from her family and friends, Akeelah might just have what it takes to make her dream come true.
There is a powerful connection between Akeelah and the two father-figures in her life: her Daddy and her mentor, Dr. Larabee (played by Laurence Fishbourne) and this connection is what gives Akeelah the courage to achieve her dream.
While Akeelah’s father died when she was 6 years old, his wise and loving spirit is still very much a part of her life. Whenever Akeelah needs guidance or comfort, it is her father she cries out to for advice. When she is reluctant to participate in the spelling bee, her brother tells her to do the bee for her father…because a love of spelling words is something that Akeelah and her father shared. When Akeelah’s mother discovers her daughter’s secret, she is initially angry, but in the end, she allows her daughter to compete. While she later tells Akeelah that she discouraged her from competing because she did not want Akeelah to feel the same sting of failure that she, herself, felt when she couldn’t finish her dream of going to college and being a doctor, I think the real reason why she finally allowed her daughter to achieve her dream is that she also remembered Akeelah’s father.
Akeelah and her mentor, Dr. Larabee, share something very precious in common. They have each lost someone they loved very dearly: Akeelah lost her father in a tragic accident and Dr. Larabee lost his daughter due to a childhood illness. Their pain creates a wall between them and everyone around them…however, this wall is broken when they connect over their common pain and their common love. When Dr. Larabee is tutoring Akeelah to prepare her for the spelling bee, he initially reluctant to take on this sassy girl as his pupil because seeing Akeelah brings back memories of his own daughter. But I think it’s the love he had for his daughter and Akeelah that inspires Dr. Larabee to help Akeelah realize her own dream.
When Akeelah first begins her journey with Dr. Larabee, he shows her a quote and asks her its meaning. The quote is, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually…who are you not to be? And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” One of the best words to describe Akeelah may be found in the meaning of her name. Akeelah means “noble” and as Akeelah embarks on her journey, she not only achieves her dream, but when she finally understands the true meaning of the quote Dr. Larabee shared with her, she is inspired to show Dylan that same grace so that his dream could be achieved as well. That is the mark of a true and noble champion in my book.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Doug Atchison
Cast: Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishbourne, Angela Bassett, J.R. Villarreal, Sean Michael Afable, Erica Hubbard
Akeelah (played by Keke Palmer), an 11-year-old girl living in South Los Angeles, discovers she has a gift for spelling words, which she hopes will take her to the National Spelling Bee. Despite her mother's objections, Akeelah does not give up on her dream. She gains a mentor in the form of a mysterious teacher, and along with overwhelming support from her family and friends, Akeelah might just have what it takes to make her dream come true.
There is a powerful connection between Akeelah and the two father-figures in her life: her Daddy and her mentor, Dr. Larabee (played by Laurence Fishbourne) and this connection is what gives Akeelah the courage to achieve her dream.
While Akeelah’s father died when she was 6 years old, his wise and loving spirit is still very much a part of her life. Whenever Akeelah needs guidance or comfort, it is her father she cries out to for advice. When she is reluctant to participate in the spelling bee, her brother tells her to do the bee for her father…because a love of spelling words is something that Akeelah and her father shared. When Akeelah’s mother discovers her daughter’s secret, she is initially angry, but in the end, she allows her daughter to compete. While she later tells Akeelah that she discouraged her from competing because she did not want Akeelah to feel the same sting of failure that she, herself, felt when she couldn’t finish her dream of going to college and being a doctor, I think the real reason why she finally allowed her daughter to achieve her dream is that she also remembered Akeelah’s father.
Akeelah and her mentor, Dr. Larabee, share something very precious in common. They have each lost someone they loved very dearly: Akeelah lost her father in a tragic accident and Dr. Larabee lost his daughter due to a childhood illness. Their pain creates a wall between them and everyone around them…however, this wall is broken when they connect over their common pain and their common love. When Dr. Larabee is tutoring Akeelah to prepare her for the spelling bee, he initially reluctant to take on this sassy girl as his pupil because seeing Akeelah brings back memories of his own daughter. But I think it’s the love he had for his daughter and Akeelah that inspires Dr. Larabee to help Akeelah realize her own dream.
When Akeelah first begins her journey with Dr. Larabee, he shows her a quote and asks her its meaning. The quote is, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually…who are you not to be? And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” One of the best words to describe Akeelah may be found in the meaning of her name. Akeelah means “noble” and as Akeelah embarks on her journey, she not only achieves her dream, but when she finally understands the true meaning of the quote Dr. Larabee shared with her, she is inspired to show Dylan that same grace so that his dream could be achieved as well. That is the mark of a true and noble champion in my book.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.