Spellbound Review
by Susan Granger (ssg722 AT aol DOT com)July 2nd, 2003
Susan Granger's review of "Spellbound" (THINKFilm/HBO/Cinemax Films)
No, this is not a remake of Hitchcock's Ingrid Bergman/Gregory Peck thriller. Far from it. Set in Washington, D.C., it's Jeffrey Blitz's Oscar-nominated documentary that profiles the 14 year-old honor students who compete in the annual National Spelling Bee. Now, before you yawn and stop reading, let me tell you the contest is far more interesting than you'd expect - or ESPN wouldn't regularly televise the finals. How many of us can spell "cephalalgia" or "apocope"?
The story begins as Harry, an anguished teen, is trying to spell a simple word that sounds like "bands" but turns out to be "banns," a term familiar only to regular churchgoers. After that, we're introduced to eight local champions. From New Haven, Connecticut, there's upscale, energetic Emily; at the opposite end of the socio/economic spectrum, there's Angela, the Texas-bred daughter of illegal Mexican immigrants who speak no English. Ashley's from Washington D.C'.s inner city projects, while Ted's rural Missouri family lives in a trailer and Ashley's a vegan from Ambler, Pennsylvania. Neil's father from San Clemente has analyzed all previous Spelling Bees and not only works through the dictionary with his son but also hires foreign-language tutors for word derivations. Young Nupur's hometown of Tampa is so proud of her that the local Hooters put up a sign: "Congradulations." That several competitors are immigrants from India is explained by the fact that students cannot correct their mistakes in India, so there is strong societal pressure to be perfect. And in the Spelling Bee, there's also no second chance. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Spellbound" is an uplifting, oddball 6, using spelling skill as a metaphor for life. And if you miss it in theaters, watch for it on cable TV later this year.
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
