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SPELLBOUND
Directed by Jeff Blitz
I was skeptical at first. How could a film about spelling be interesting? I took into consideration
its Academy Award nomination for best documentary and its 98% fresh rating from the
Rottentomatoes.com consensus of critics’ reviews and decided to give it a chance. I’m really glad
that I did, because it blew me away.
This brilliantly hilarious and suspenseful documentary follows eight kids who are contestants in
the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. It is divided into essentially two segments. The
first gives us a few minutes at home with each of the kids, and the second covers the actual bee.
In the first segment we meet these eight kids, who are all of varying ethnic and societal
backgrounds, who hail from all across the country. This part of the film allows for some
interesting commentary on both America and cultural diversity. One of the contestants, Angela,
comes from a family of Mexicans who illegally crossed the border. Her father still cannot speak a
word of English (which leads to a scene that is both funny and thought provoking). I think this
section of the film is its most interesting, because it is the most significant testament to what Blitz
was trying to say about America.
We see what Blitz was getting at through all of these kids, however. Notice in the scene where we
are introduced to Neil, the son of an East Indian family. He lives on the California coast, and the
camera focuses on a group of kids playing on the beach for a brief moment before moving
towards Neil’s house. It stops at his window where we see him busy at work studying for the
National Bee. This highlights just how hard these kids work. I think the film portrays these kids as
a sort of microcosm for what America stands for in the eyes of many people. It’s no mistake or
accident that these kids are from either immigrant or poorer families. What Blitz shows is how, in
America, if you work hard, it is almost impossible to fail (in the words of one of the kids’ fathers).
This is probably the most patriotic film I’ve seen in years.
Once the film progresses into its second segment, the 1999 National Spelling Bee, it becomes so
suspenseful that I had a hard time sitting still. When it comes to the climax of the Bee, I honestly
started to believe that Mr. Blitz was a sadist, and could picture him laughing at his audience
squirming in their seats. At the most heart-stopping moment, he cuts away to footage of the kids
at home before the Bee, and takes his time before he tells us the outcome, which makes the
ending even more satisfying than it could have been.
My Rating: ****
Review by Jared Mills
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