Akeelah and the Bee (PG, 2006)

Intelligent and charming, AKEELAH AND THE BEE traces the delicate, courageous process of a little girl's growing up. Akeelah (Keke Palmer) is a resolute, self-protecting 11-year-old with a gift for spelling. Trying to "fit in" with her classmates at a middle school in Los Angeles' Crenshaw district, she misses her father (killed by gunfire when she was six) and doesn't see enough of her hardworking mother Tanya (Angela Bassett) or starting-to-act-tough brother. After she wins a classwide bee, her principal (Curtis Armstrong) decides she should compete: he wants to promote the school, but he's also drawn to the earnestness of this brilliant girl who's been "left behind" by a dysfunctional school system. He solicits the help of his imposing friend Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne), who agrees to coach Akeelah if she agrees to cease her "ghetto" talk, study hard, and above all, believe in herself. Akeelah doesn't quite trust this interloper, and is disinclined to give up what she understands as her individuality to accommodate him. Larabee, however, points out that her notion of independence is only conformity. The film focuses on Akeelah's growing respect for Larabee and his increasing trust of her and her evolving relationship with her practical, hardworking mom. But it is in her relationships with other kids that Akeelah is a stand-out in this formula film. She goes through some back-and-forth with her best friend at school, Kiana (Erica Hubbard), who thrills to Akeelah's success initially, then feels left out of the bee crowd. Akeelah's bee friends, Javier (J.R. Villarreal) and Dylan (Sean Michael), make her feel like less of a misfit, because they share her interests, her drive, and, at least to an extent, her gift.

In large part, the film's delights have to do with Palmer's winning performance, most apparent in one-on-one scenes with Tanya or Larabee. But the movie has something else going on as well. Embracing the conventions that make so many other genre films feel stale, Akeelah torques them slightly too. Akeelah finds her spelling in a particular sort of physical rhythm, tapping out letters on her thigh with her fingers or hearing the letters in her head as she jumps rope. She not only embodies her gift and her passion, but she also inspires new ways of thinking about intellectual activities. When Larabee tells her that he needs "a lot of order" in his life, Akeelah demonstrates ways that order might be felt.