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# ‘Akeelah and The Bee’ goes to head of the class among recent rash of speller flicks
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/akeelah-and-the-bee-goes-to-head-of-the-class-among-recent-rash-of-speller-flicks/
- Published: 2006-04-28T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:40:30.000Z
- Author: Dan Dunn
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*■ STICK TO THE SCRIPPS: Fishburne and Palmer spell it out.*

You may be wondering whether another spelling bee movie is really necessary. The answer is A-B-S-O-L-U- T-E-L-Y. Despite being fairly predictable and cliché-ridden, “Akeelah and the Bee” is an irresistible treat thanks, in very large part, to 11-year-old Keke Palmer’s superb performance in the title role. Akeelah’s a kid from South Central LA with an off-the-charts aptitude for words. Fearful of being teased, she hides her gift, which developed as a coping mechanism in the wake of her father’s death. At her principal’s insistence, she enters and wins her school’s bee. Laurence Fishburne chips in with a skillfully muted turn as a college professor who guides Akeelah down the road to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 28, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/042806.pdf?ref=smdp.com)