Everyone wants the last word.

A straight-forward, lauded documentary that follows eight children as they prepare for the 1999 National Spelling Bee. They come from different circumstances and the filmmakers do their best to make us understand them and their motivations, thereby making us invest emotionally in them and root for them at the climactic contest. The parents play a large part in most cases, we realize, pinning their hopes for glory on their kids and maybe pushing them too hard for a competition that has become almost larger than life, at least to non-American viewers. The drama is effectively captured in the faces of the children at the Bee, especially young Harry Altman, an eccentric and super-active kid. He and the other contesters make this film both emotional and very entertaining.

The YouTube clip shows the trailer.

2003-U.S. 95 min. Color. Produced by Jeffrey Blitz, Sean Welch. Directed by Jeffrey Blitz.

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Published by Stefan Hedmark 2009-07-02 04:54

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