Parents' Guide to

Spelling the Dream

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Upbeat celebration of outstanding kids who spell to win.

Movie NR 2020 82 minutes
Spelling the Dream Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 7+

Based on 5 parent reviews

erintutts
erintutts Parent of 6, 8 and 10-year-old
May 9, 2021
age 10+

Confusing, too many storylines.

I've tried twice to finish this movie. Somehow I can't get through it. My kids and I were confused following all the competitors' stories. If we were to try again, I'd make a graphic organizer with all the spellers' names on it so we could stop and take notes. It jumped around and we couldn't keep up. I did like the history lesson about South Asian immigration. Not that it's inappropriate, but I think it's definitely better for older kids. My six year olds were quite disinterested, my 8 and 10 year olds were in fact watching, but it just didn't peak our interest enough.
1 person found this helpful.
AMisra
AMisra Adult
June 4, 2020
age 7+

Spell SUCCESS

These are American kids and taking part in the American Tradition and fulfilling their dreams. Very motivational movie. I hope my kids are inspired by this movie.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Shourav, Ashrita, Tejas, and Akash are committed to being the best competitors they can be in SPELLING THE DREAM. All four are working toward the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee, where they hope to compete with the best spellers in the United States for the ultimate win -- or at least a chance at that win. Teens Shourav (age 14) and Tejas (13) are seasoned veterans; they've won school titles, regional titles, and even competed in The Big One (Scripps) before. Nine-year-old Ashrita is realistic about her chances but filled with excitement at the prospect of simply participating. Seven-year-old Akash is just starting out, but he's confident and willing to practice for hours to make his mark. All of them are. Director Sam Rega and his team take viewers into the spellers' homes, meet their dedicated families, get in touch with the forces that drive each of the kids to excellence, then stay with them through the electrifying national competition.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (2):

What could be more delightful than spending time with four bright, engaging, confident kids, an "A-team" of wonderfully brainy spelling bee champs? The fact that they're all first-generation Americans only adds luster to their impressive accomplishments. Spelling the Dream is a celebration of those kids, beautifully executed, warmhearted, and very, very satisfying. With clear themes of perseverance, it's a celebration of hard work, supportive families, and doing your best to achieve a goal.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how movies broaden the cultural horizons of young audiences. Before you saw Spelling the Dream, how much did you know about first-generation Indian American kids whose parents came to the U.S. from South Asia? Did you learn anything new about the experience of being first-generation in America? If you are Indian American, did you feel the movie reflected your culture accurately, and in a positive or negative light? If you are not, what did you learn? Either way, how are these familis similar to yours? How are they different?

  • The children in this movie are immigrants. Do you feel the movie shows their contributions to American society in a positive or a negative light? What are some examples?

  • Pick one of the spotlighted students in the movie -- Ashrita, Tejas, Akash, or Shourav. What valuable character strengths does that student have? Now, pick one of those traits and show why it was important to him or her.

  • The kids here like to think of spelling bees as a "sport" and were excited that the final event would be broadcast live on ESPN. In what ways are spelling competitions like sporting events? Do you think that challenging the mind is as challenging as other physical skills? Why or why not?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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