 I'm a sucker for documentaries that involve kids. I don't know what it is about them, but I just love them. Spellbound was certainly no exception.
I, as a youngster, was also in the spelling bee circuit until I reversed the 'i' and the 'r' when spelling the word prison. Needless to say, this movie was one I connected with on several levels.
Spellbound was nominated for an Oscar in 2002 but lost to Bowling for Columbine. Against any other movie at any other point in time, it would have, in my opinion, definitely had a chance at winning.
The movie follows eight kids as they prepare for and compete in the Scripps-Howard national spelling bee.
We get a chance to see each of their backgrounds, ranging from the parents that drill their son every day with every imaginable spelling word to the kid that needs a horse tranquilizer to calm him down. There's a girl that takes the subway into school every day and another girl whose father doesn't even speak English. Nearly the only thing these kids have in common is the hope they have for winning this national spelling bee.
Spellbound is tense and dramatic in a way that most fictional films will never match. It's easy to pick a favorite out of the kids viewers get a chance to know, and it puts you on the edge of your seat every time you see them ask for the root of a word you couldn't even pronounce if you tried.
Included in the extras on this DVD is a "Where Are They Now?" segment, which catches up with each of the profiled spellers several years after the spelling bee took place.
Definitely a great movie for anyone.
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| : | Purchase Spellbound at amazon.com |
| Rating: |  |
| written by: | Wendy |
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| Spellbound can be found in the following categories: Documentry On DVD |
