♪ A-K ♪
♪ L-A ♪
♪ A-K ♪
♪ E-L ♪
♪ E-L-A-H ♪
♪ K-E-E ♪
♪ A-K-E-E-L-A-H ♪
♪ Akeelah ♪
♪ A-K-E ♪
♪ E-L-A ♪
♪ K-E, A-K ♪
♪ K-E ♪
♪ Akeelah, Akeelah, ♪
♪ Akeelah ♪
♪ A-K-E-E-L-A-H-H-H ♪
You know that feeling
where no matter what you do
or where you go,
you just don't fit in?
Don't know the word for that.
Alienation?
Estrangement?
Incompatibility?
Nah, those ain't right.
But there's gotta be a word for it.
'cause it's how I feel all the time.
My name's Akeelah Anderson
and I'm 11 years old,
and this all starts at Crenshaw
Middle School in South Los Angeles.
♫
You're all in the seventh grade now,
and I know you can do better than this.
So when I give you
a list of words, study them.
Akeelah!
How long did you study
for this spelling test?
I didn't.
See me after class.
Okay, you two need
to turn around. Enough!
You know, you could be
one of my very best students.
But you don't turn in
half your homework.
Sometimes you don't even
show up for class.
- What's going on?
- I don't know.
Have you heard of…
Have you heard
of next week's spelling bee?
No.
Well, I think you should
sign up for it.
Does he really think I'm gonna be walking
around with somebody
in little shorts like that?
He crazy.
Oh! Is Devon coming back today?
Yeah, he got a 2-week leave.
Your brother is fine.
I got it all figured out, look.
He's gonna be the pilot
on a big commercial jet,
and I'm gonna be
the flight attendant. Hey!
Spare some change
for an old man, girls?
I ain't got no change myself.
Damn! Derrick-T's new ride is tight!
He been trying
to get Terrence in trouble.
Girl, your brother can get
his own self in trouble.
- So what did Ms. Cross want?
- Nothing.
Just talking about some
stupid a*s spelling bee.
You gonna do it?
You probably be good.
And get up in front of everybody?
I'd probably pee in my pants.
So, tell me about the boy
in your class with the shorts.
I think he is cute.
♫
Yes!
Yes!
Keelie, Mama says go eat.
I'm about to get
a high score. One minute.
I don't care.
Mama says go eat.
Oh, yeah! I've been dreaming about
your cooking for the past five months.
Here, let me take that.
At least I got one baby appreciate
what I do around here.
We all appreciate you.
Hey! Give me some sugar.
Where is Terrence?
I don't know. Maybe he's
still at practice.
Practice was over an hour ago.
I know one thing, he better not be
hanging out with no Derrick-T.
Derrick-T?
That fool still alive?
- Not after you get done with him.
- That's right.
Hey, you.
So, how may planes have
you shot down so far?
So far, zero.
But you don't do too much sh**ting
sitting behind
a computer screen in Nevada.
Well, good.
You stay on the ground.
Let them white boys go up there.
You stay down here
where you belong.
Mama, I'm gonna have my wings
and my college degree before you know it.
Unless, of course,
this one beats me to it.
Not skipping class
with Georgia Cavanaugh she won't.
- Skipping class?
- Only P.E.
You better not be skipping no class.
Akeelah, go turn off the television.
Hey, hey.
Flip it over to ESPN real quick,
let me check out
the Lakers score, all right?
I need you to talk to Terrence.
…no more glue traps
and no more throwing your money away.
The scientific design…
If you spell the next word correctly,
you will be the champion.
- What's this?
- Akeelah, turn off the TV now.
"Brunneous."
B-R-U-N-
N-E-O-U-S. Brunneous?
Congratulations!
You are the Scripps
National Spelling Bee champion.
Akeelah needs to listen!
Turn it off now!
Brunneous. Brunneous.
"Brunneous. Dark brown,
used chiefly scientifically."
Well, why can't they just say brown?
Daddy, have you ever
heard of this word?
Yeah. You probably did.
"Cauterize."
C-A-U-T-E-R-I-Z-E.
"Fortification."
F-O-R-T-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N.
"Correspond."
C-O-R-R-E-S-P-O-N-D.
Hey, freak.
We want you to take care
of our English homework.
Everybody say you a brainiac.
- I ain't no brainiac.
- Like hell you ain't!
Always got them A's down, right?
- Yeah, she's scared.
- Don't run away from us!
I cannot thank you enough
for coming down here today, Josh.
I got the district
breathing down my back.
The test scores have
gone down again this year.
As I said earlier, I appreciate
your dilemma, Bob, but…
I really don't understand
what it is I have to offer you.
All I want you to do
is look at these kids
and tell me if you think
my idea's crazy.
I think some of them have
a lot of potential.
Girls! Why aren't you in class?!
- She held us up.
- Akeelah!
Are you signed up
for the spelling bee today?
No.
I want you to come to my office, please.
So, Ms. Cross tells me you've never missed
a word on your spelling tests,
but your attendance record
leaves a little to be desired.
You're 11.
Did you skip a grade?
The second.
Akeelah, have you ever heard
of the Scripps National Spelling Bee?
I think it was on TV last week.
Yes! Yes, they show it
on ESPN every year.
Middle school students
from all over the country
compete in school, district,
and regional spelling bees
trying to make it to the National Spelling
Bee in Washington D.C.
Next year, I want
one of our students there.
So whoever wins the school bee today
gets to represent Crenshaw
at the district bee next month.
Why would anybody want
to represent a school
that can't even put doors
on the toilet stalls?
Akeelah, if we can't show
our students can perform,
we're not gonna have money for books,
let alone bathroom doors.
Now, I want you to do
the bee today, all right?
So everybody can call me
a freak and a brainiac?
No. I ain't down for no spelling bee.
Well, maybe you'd be "down"
for spending the rest of the semester
in detention for all your absences.
I'd like to welcome you all
to Crenshaw's first
school-wide spelling bee.
We have some very special
students competing today.
So let's give them all
a round of applause.
Whoo!
Okay. We drew numbers
to see who would go first,
and that's Chuckie Johnson
from the eighth grade.
♪ Hey, hey, hey, ♪
♪ Chuckie, baby ♪
Mr. Welch, I have a question
about the basketball nets.
Chuckie!
You need to pay attention.
Now, we're gonna start things off
with "grovel."
Gravel? Like little rocks?
No, "grovel."
Like "get down on your knees
and grovel."
Get down on my knees? What?
Just spell the word.
Uh, G-R-A-V-E-L.
No, Chuckie,
you spelt "gravel."
I meant "grovel."
G-R-O-V-E-L.
You weren't listening.
Sorry, Chuckie.
Who cares?
Okay. Next up,
Akeelah Anderson.
Whoo! You go, girl!
Akeelah, your word
is "doubt." Doubt.
D-O-U-B-T.
I'm sorry, Akeelah,
you have to speak up.
D-O-U-B-T.
Very good.
Next, Calvin Baker.
P-L-A-S-I-D.
Placid.
I'm sorry.
It's P-L-A-C-I-D.
Okay, Akeelah, if you get this word,
you'll be the winner.
"Fanciful."
F-A-N-C-I-F-U-L.
- Whoa!
- That is correct,
and you have won Crenshaw's
inaugural spelling bee.
Whoo!
Whatever.
Excuse me.
Spell "prestidigitation."
I'm sorry, sir, but this girl is only 11
and she has already won.
Mr. Welch, what is this?
"Prestidigitation."
Can you spell it?
P-R-E-S-T-I-D-I-G-I-T-A-T-I-O-N.
- Whoa!
- Prestidigitation.
- That's correct.
- Whoo!
"Ambidextrous."
A-M-B-I-D-E-X-T-R-O-U-S.
"Pterodactyl."
P-T-E-R-O-D-A-C-T-Y-L.
"Pulchritude."
P…
P-U-L-C…
R…
I-T-U-D-E.
- Pulchritude?
- That's incorrect.
It's from
the Latin root pulcher,
and there's an "h" after the "c".
See? She ain't so smart!
- Run, Forrest! See ya!
- Bye, sweetie!
Akeelah! Wait!
Where are you going?
You did great!
You were spelling words
I don't know how to spell.
Mr. Welch, I told you
I didn't wanna do this.
They're laughing at me!
They laugh
because you intimidate them.
But if you'd stood your ground,
you might have earned their respect.
Bob, the girl has potential, but… she
needs to be coached.
Do you know who that was?
That was Dr. Joshua Larabee.
He used to chair
the English department at UCLA.
He and I went to college
together, but get this.
When he was a kid, he went all the way
to the National Spelling Bee,
and he thinks you have a chance
of going there yourself.
I'm sorry, but I ain't doing
no more spelling bees.
Akeelah…
Girl, you kicked some major booty
on that stage today.
But I couldn't spell "pulchritude."
But you knocked out them other words
right back at that dude.
They were just trick words.
Everybody know "pterodactyl"
starts with a "p".
Girl, if I could spell like you,
I know I could be
a flight attendant. Hmm.
Keelie, hey.
Wake up.
Hey.
Dev, are you leaving?
Yeah. Got to get back
to the base.
Hey. Your principal called mama.
Said you did real good
in a spelling bee last week.
I messed up a word.
Yeah, well, he said you got
a lot of them right.
He also said you got an opportunity
to go to an even bigger contest next week.
- I don't want to do it.
- Why not?
Everybody's gonna be looking at me,
and there's gonna be
tons of words I don't know.
So you're scared, huh?
Come on.
How do you think I felt
the first time I had to jump
out of an airplane?
I mean, my whole body
said, "Don't do it."
Sometimes your brain gotta be
smarter than your body, you know?
But I don't like my school.
Don't see why I gotta do
anything for 'em.
Then do it for Dad.
I mean, you know
how he was about words.
He'd love to see you
do something like this.
What Mama say about it?
You know how Mama is.
She's got a million things
to worry about.
Tell you what.
Just do this contest.
And if you make it all the way to D.C.,
I will parachute down to see you.
Would you like that?
♫
That is a wonderful decision, Akeelah.
A wonderful decision.
You think maybe the school
could buy me a new outfit?
You know, for the district bee?
Uh… I don't know. Maybe.
Uh, if you make it to the state regional,
maybe something could be arranged.
But you're gonna have to finish
in the top 10 at the district level first.
And, Akeelah, you're gonna be going up
against kids from Santa Monica,
Woodland Hills, Beverly Hills.
Some of these kids
have been doing this for years
and never even made it to D.C.
Well, maybe I should just give up now.
No, no, no. No. I'm just saying
you need to train hard…
with Dr. Larabee.
What? I don't need any help from him.
I can do this on my own.
Akeelah, the best spellers
in the world have coaches.
And I finally got him to consider
taking some time during his sabbatical
to work with you.
Please, just talk with him. Here.
- He doesn't live far from here.
- He lives in this neighborhood?
I thought you said he was important.
And take this. It's a copy
of last year's spelling bee.
"Sacciform."
May I have
the definition, please?
Resembling a pouch.
May I have the language
of origin, please?
Latin.
Latin? I thought this was
supposed to be English.
…F-O-R…
"Scutellate."
Can I have the definition?
♫
"Longicollis."
"Jingoists."
"Empennage."
"Souchong."
- "Intussusception."
- Hey, what's that?
Where you been?
Mama's worried.
Mama should just chill, all right?
- What you looking at?
- Spelling bee.
Oh, yeah, I heard about that.
You're going up against
a bunch of rich, white kids.
They're gonna tear your black a*s up.
"Intussusception" is
I-N-T-U-S-S-U-S-C-E-P-T-I-O-N.
You're late.
You didn't answer the door.
That's because
you're late. Come in.
Come. Come. Come.
So… you wanna learn how to spell.
I know how to spell.
Spell "staphylococci."
Um…
- S-T-A-F…
- There is no "F".
It's derived from the Greek,
so there can't be an "F".
"Staphylococci."
S-T-A-P-H-
Y-L-O-C-O-C-C-I.
Winning word,
National Spelling Bee, 1987.
The first thing
most serious spellers do
is learn all of the winning words
and their origins.
Well, maybe I ain't that serious.
Maybe neither am I.
So why are you home during the day?
Ain't you got a job?
Do me a favor. Leave the ghetto talk
outside, all right?
Ghetto talk?
I don't talk ghetto.
"Ain't you got no job?"
You use that language
to fit in with your friends.
Here you will speak properly
or you won't speak at all.
- Understood?
- Yeah.
Whatever.
You can leave now.
- Excuse me?
- I said you can leave.
How come?
Because I don't have time to waste
on insolent little girls.
Insolent? I ain't in…
I mean, I'm not insolent.
It's just the first thing
you do is start doggin…
criticizing the way I speak.
I thought this was
just about spelling words.
Well, then fine.
You know what?
When I put my mind to it,
I can memorize anything.
And I don't need help
from a dictatorial,
truculent,
supercilious gardener.
I'm sorry to be so insolent.
♫
Hey.
Baby, what are you still doing up?
Gotta learn more words.
You gonna come see me
in the district bee this Saturday?
What, is that at your school?
Nah. Beverly Hills.
Beverly Hills?
Look, you got other homework.
You need to focus on that.
I don't want you spending
all your time on this game.
It ain't a game!
Are you gonna come see me in it?
You know I work
at the hospital on Saturday.
Maybe Kiana can go with you.
As long as she don't bring
that whiny baby.
Come on, girls, let's go.
We're gonna be late.
Dang. I hope
they ain't all here to spell.
Okay, go get your number.
We'll be sitting back here.
Good luck, Keelie.
Hi. Name?
Um, Akeelah Anderson.
Oh. Right here at the top.
Hmm. I think you're
the first speller we've ever had
from Crenshaw Middle School.
Um… how many kids
are in this thing?
139. Next?
Need some help?
Don't worry.
I won't impale you.
This your first time?
- Yeah. You?
- Second year.
I made it to Nationals last year.
Finished 13th. Lucky 13!
You went all the way to D.C.?
Three of us made it from my school
in Woodland Hills.
See that kid right there?
That's Dylan Chiu.
He's come in second place at the nationals
for two years in a row.
This is his last year and everybody thinks
he's gonna win.
Frankly, I'd like to shove him
off a steep precipice.
Hey, my name's Javier.
- I'm Akeelah.
- Hope you make the top 10.
I hope I'm not the first one out.
Will all the spellers take
their positions on the stage, please?
Now remember, if you don't know
how to spell a word,
spell it the way it sounds.
Kids mess up all the time when they think
they're being thrown curveballs
and they're not. Good luck.
- Good luck to you, too.
- Thank you.
E-M-
B-R-I-
C-A…
T-I-O-N.
"Embrocation."
"Rhesus."
"Recess?"
May I have a definition, please?
A brownish-yellow
monkey of India.
Ah. "Rhesus."
R-H-E-S-U-S.
"Rhesus."
That's correct.
Number 54?
"Eminent."
Did you hear the word?
I'm not sure if you're saying
"imminent" or "eminent".
Would you like a definition?
That'd be cool.
"Eminent.
Rising above other things or places.
High, lofty.
Eminent."
E-M-I-
N-E-N-T.
"Eminent"?
That's correct.
♫
That's correct.
"Hypertrophic."
H-Y-P-E-R-T-R-O-P-H-I-C.
"Hypertrophic."
That's correct.
That's correct.
"Concierge."
Is that like a guy
who stands around in a hotel?
Speak into the mic, please.
And yes,
it's a head porter or doorkeeper.
C-O-N-C-
- I-E-R-G-E.
- That's correct.
You're doing great.
I'm gettin' lucky.
I could be gettin' words like…
"Polydactyly."
We're down to 11 spellers.
The top 10 qualify for the Southern
California regional finals.
In the next round…
If you miss a word,
do not leave the stage…
…as you may have an opportunity
to compete for any remaining places.
Kiana! Get that baby out of here!
So…
Let's begin.
…L-L-O G-I-Z-E.
- "Syllogize"?
- That's correct.
"Synecdoche."
♫
Synecdo-key?
"Synecdoche."
You wanna tell me what that means?
"A figure of speech,
in which a part is used for a whole.
An individual for a class,
a material for a thing,
or the reverse of any of these."
We need you to spell the word.
S…
I…
N-
E-
C-
D-O-
K-E-Y?
"Synecdoche"?
The correct spelling is
S-Y-N-E-C-D-O-C-H-E.
If you spell this correctly,
you'll be our 10th and last finalist.
"Carmagnole."
Could I get a definition, please?
"A lively song and street dance."
Um… C-
A-
R-
M-A…
G-N-O-L-E.
- "Carmagnole."
- That's correct.
And that means you are our 10th
and last finalist for the district bee.
They cheated!
They cheated!
I saw them!
That boy's mama helped him out!
But… Excuse me.
Who are you?
I'm Keelie's sister.
I was standin' right back there,
and I saw that boy's mama
give him the letter "G".
She was sayin' "geeeee."
I… he knew the word!
I… I mean, it's one we studied.
- You… he knew it…
- Ma'am.
Did you help your child
spell the word?
Ma'am, this is serious business.
Oh! You're damn right it's serious!
You know, you are gonna give
these kids ulcers!
Do you know how long
he has studied for this?
- He knew that word!
- No.
I didn't.
I'm sorry. Number 62,
you are disqualified from competition.
Which means, number 54,
if you can spell
one more word correctly,
you'll be our 10th and last finalist.
♫
"Pastiche."
P-A-S-T-I-C-H-E.
"Pastiche."
That's correct.
That means you've qualified
for the Southern California
regional finals.
Here's my number. We have
a spelling club in my school.
Maybe you should come
practice with us sometime.
- That sounds fun.
- Yeah, it's cool.
Hey, there's my folks.
- I'll catch you later.
- Okay.
- Bye.
- Bye.
Hey, check it out.
Look at this.
I'll be at USC this year.
Just think, Akeelah.
All you've got to do is place
in the top three of the state regionals,
you're going to Washington D.C.
Not if I can't
spell "synecdoche."
Uh-oh, y'all. Look.
As long as you live in my house,
you will do what I say.
- Mom…
- And what I say?
No drugs. No g*ng-bangers.
And no $300 watches.
Take it off.
Derrick-T gave me this, mom.
He did? Then I'm gonna
give it right back…
- Mom.
- What? You two get inside.
Take it off.
- But, mama, I made it.
- Made what?
Made the cut. I'm going
to the regional bee.
Yeah. While you doin' that,
I'm gonna be identifyin'
your brother here in the morgue.
- No, you're not.
- Yes, I am. Get inside,
before I really
embarrass your behind.
Akeelah?
Akeelah, get in here!
It's okay, Mr. Welch.
I'll see you later.
What is the problem?
Why do you have the police…
- Mom…
- …at 9:00 at night?
Guess what?
I'm goin' to the regional bee.
Do you know how much
I worry about you?
Why do you insist on hangin' out…
♫
Dylan?
Um…
I'm Akeelah.
Javier said I could come
and join the study group today.
All those rejects do that.
My father coaches me privately.
Who's your coach?
I don't got one.
How many spelling bees
have you won?
Just the one at my school.
Spell "xanthosis."
- Um… Z-A-
- It starts with an "X".
If that idiot hadn't been caught cheating,
you wouldn't have made the cut.
Euphoric.
- Euphoric is an adjective.
- Greek.
It means, like,
feeling great and everything.
Either spell the word,
or take a shot.
If you miss either one,
you get a strike.
Three strikes, you're out.
"Euphoric."
E-U-P-H-
O-R-I-C.
"Euphoric."
"Psoriasis."
Are you takin' Latin at your school?
- Psoriasis is a noun.
- Greek.
Are you kidding? My school barely has
enough money for kick ba*ls.
There's no Latin classes.
Latin really helps you
understand words.
Psoriasis is, like, itchy skin.
Maybe your mom could drive you up here,
so you could take it with us.
I don't know.
This is all startin' to sound real heavy.
It is heavy. Spelling bees
are serious sh*t.
I think I'll take a shot.
On second thought,
could I spell the word?
At Crenshaw,
they think I'm a freak.
Don't worry. They think
we're freaks here, too.
Hey, there's my mom.
Need a ride?
Oh… Nah. My mom's gonna
pick me up.
She should be here soon.
Hey, I'm having a birthday party
in a few weeks.
You… you wanna come?
Maybe. If I can.
It was cool seeing you
again, Akeelah.
- Bye.
- Bye.
♫
Where the hell have you been?
Studyin'.
Studyin' where?
Woodland Hills.
Woodland Hills?
What you doin' there?
They got a spelling club.
Did Mr. Welch take you?
'Cause ain't nobody called me.
I went by myself. I didn't think
the bus ride would take so long.
I'm sorry.
Akeelah Anderson!
You done lost your mind?
You 11 years old!
You don't be takin' a bus
to Woodland Hills by yourself!
- There's nobody around to take me.
- That's 'cause I work.
That's what you said on the weekend.
All the other kids have their parents
at the district bee.
Well, maybe the other kids have parents
who got more time on their hands.
Look, I'm not havin' another child of mine
disappearin' at all hours.
So if this spellin' thing means
sneaking off to the suburbs by yourself,
- I'm callin' it all off.
- We can't call it off!
I'm goin' to the regional bee!
Not if you flunk outta school,
you're not.
I just got a letter sayin'
you gotta take summer school
to make up for all these classes
you done skipped.
Mom, I hate Crenshaw!
It is so boring there!
And nobody cares!
What, you think they care
about you in Woodland Hills?
At least they got Latin classes.
And the kids don't have
to study in their stairwell.
Well, good for them.
But until you finish
summer school, at Crenshaw,
ain't gonna be no more spellin' bees.
But, Mama, I gotta get ready
for the state bee during the summer.
Well, you just gonna have to do
that next year, aren't ya?
- But that's not fair!
- Not only is it fair, it's final.
♫
You'd let me do it.
1979. "Maculature."
M-A-C-U-L-A-T-U-R-E.
Origin is Latin.
1990. "Fibranne."
F-I-B-R-A-N-N-E.
French.
1996. "Vivisepulture."
V-I-V-I-S-E-P-U-L-T-U-R-E.
Latin.
I learned all the winning words
since 1925,
just like you said I should.
Sorry for bein' so insolent last time.
That's not gonna happen
no more… anymore.
I promise.
So I was wonderin'
if you might reconsider
coaching me for the state bee.
'Cause I need a coach.
Bad.
"Badly." You need a coach badly.
Come in.
Come in. Come in.
That's a very pretty lady.
She your wife?
Listen, you got very lucky
at the district bee.
The competition at state level
is much stronger,
so if you and I
were to prepare for that,
we'd have to do it on my schedule.
So we'd have to work
three hours each morning,
starting at 9:00.
Can you handle that?
Well, I do have summer school,
but Mr. Welch say workin' with you
could take the place of it.
Isn't that for students who don't perform
satisfactorily during the year?
Well… sometimes with kids who want
to get ahead for next year.
Yes. Please, put that down.
Just… Yeah.
Have you, uh… Have you got any goals?
- Hmm?
- Goals.
What would you like to be
when you grow up?
A doctor. A lawyer.
A stand-up comic.
I don't know. Only thing
I'm good at is spelling.
Go over there and read the quotation
that's on the wall.
Read it aloud, please.
"Our deepest fear is not
that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that
we are powerful beyond measure.
We ask ourselves,
'Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented,
and fabulous?'
Actually, who are you not to be?
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same."
Does that mean anything to you?
I don't know.
It's written in plain English.
What does it mean?
That I'm not supposed
to be afraid?
Afraid of what?
Afraid of…
Me?
This National Spelling Bee
is a tough nut.
I've seen it chew kids up
and spit them out.
So if you want to get there,
you can't be a shrinking violet.
You have to stand up
and show them what you can do.
All right?
Then I'll brook no nonsense.
You show up on time,
with no attitude, or it's over.
Agreed?
Agreed.
♪ And maybe you should know ♪
♪ That you ain't got no control… ♪
Stop, stop, stop, stop!
Boy, Mom would trip if she knew
we borrowed the car for this.
That's why mama ain't gonna know.
Come on, Georgia.
Um…
I'm gonna go to the mall
with Kiana.
But I thought you wanted
to go to this party.
Hey, Akeelah.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah.
Come on, let's go.
- How are you? Thank you.
- Okay.
Why'd you invite him?
My Dad's friends with his dad.
I'm surprised he showed up.
Hey, you want to see my house?
- Yeah.
- Let's go.
This is my father's office.
He's a journalist, and he's written,
like, a bunch of books.
What's your father do?
My daddy?
He used to work for the city parks.
Man, you got a lot of friends.
I never had a birthday party this big.
I'd think you'd have lots of friends.
Why'd you do that?
I had an impulse.
Are you gonna sue me
for sexual harassment?
That was nuts.
What are they doin' down there?
Oh, no. Dylan brought
his Scrabble games.
Scrabble?
I get 30 seconds for each board.
We need one more.
Who wants to play?
I will.
♫
And right out of the gate,
Roman scores 32 points with "birch"
on the double word score.
Dylan counters with the immediate
use of "Z" for 39 big ones.
Polly tests the water with "acorn".
And Dylan answers with
a body-blow "beacon" for 20.
Holy cannoli!
Right off the bat,
Akeelah uses all her letters,
getting 50 extra points
for a whopping 82.
What will Dylan do?
He's fighting the clock.
You could cut the tension
with a butter knife.
Shut up!
Shazam! Dylan gets his own bingo
for 76 points.
It's come down to this.
After having crushed all five opponents,
Dylan has only Akeelah to beat.
But she's ahead by 21,
and has only a few letters left.
Is this an upset in the making?
What kind of birthday party is this?
Yowza! Using the triple-word score,
Dylan charges ahead by six.
Just go.
Whoa…
Yeah! Akeelah's in the lead by 12 points,
and has only one letter left.
But this could be Dylan's final play.
Arrividerci, sweetheart.
12 points decides the game.
But Dylan gets Akeelah's last two points.
He wins.
A heartbreaker.
Wow, Akeelah.
No one ever gets
that close to beating Dylan.
But I didn't beat him.
Girl, you passed up
the mall to play Scrabble?
She just got lucky.
If you can barely beat
a little black girl at a silly board game,
how do you expect
to win the National Bee?
Listen! We're not coming in second
again this year.
We're gonna win.
Let's go.
"He began to have a dim feeling
that to attain
his place in the world,
he must be himself
and not another."
Dr. Larabee,
this book is too heavy.
Good. It'll develop your arm muscles.
I thought we were developing
my vocabulary.
We are.
Please continue reading.
But I already know most of the words
in this speech.
It's not a speech, it's an essay
by W.E.B. Dubois,
the first black man to receive
a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Maybe we should be studying
more big words.
Spell "cabalistic."
C-A-B-A-L-I-S-T-I-C.
"Cabalistic."
And when did you learn that one?
About two minutes ago on this book.
But in the time it took
to learn that one word,
Dylan probably learned 20.
And those 20 words won't mean
anything to him.
He's just a little robot,
memorizing lists of words.
The people we're studying…
Dubois, Dr. King, JFK…
these people used words
to change the world.
And they didn't acquire their vocabulary
by rote memorization.
Okay.
But when I'm at the bee,
and they tell me to spell
some little fish from Australia
or some weird bacteria
on the Moon,
we're gonna wish we'd done
a little bit more rote memorizing
and not so much essay reading…
if you don't mind me saying.
Bacteria don't exist on the Moon.
Let me ask you something.
Where do you think
big words come from?
People with big brains?
All right.
What do you see?
A bunch of big words I don't know.
Ah. Look again.
What kind of power
do we get from the sun?
- Solar.
- So, what does "sol" mean?
- Sun.
- What does "terraneous" sound like?
- Terrain.
- Meaning the earth.
"Soliterraneous" means…
The sun and the earth
working together.
So where do big words come from?
Little words.
And how many little words
do you know?
- Tons.
- Yes!
And there are tons more
for you to learn.
There are Greek ones.
There are Latin ones.
French ones.
And if you learn them all,
you can spell any word,
no matter how big.
Maybe we should
get back to the essay reading.
What's the matter?
I thought you wanted to win
the National Spelling Bee.
Maybe just getting there
this time is good enough.
Don't give me that.
You want to win it so badly,
it keeps you up at night.
Ever since you found out
there was such a thing
as the National Spelling Bee,
you've seen yourself
holding up that trophy.
But if you can't say it,
you can't win it, so say it.
- I wanna win.
- Say it louder, please.
- I wanna win.
- You wanna win what?
I wanna win the National Spelling Bee!
Good. Good.
You'll win using my methods,
by first understanding
the power of language,
then by deconstructing it,
breaking it down
to its origins, to its roots.
You'll consume it.
You will own it.
And then you know
what you'll be?
Mm-hmm. Tired.
You'll be a champion.
- Are you ready?
- I'm ready.
All right. Let's go.
♪ Hand me down my walking cane ♪
♪ Hand me down my hat ♪
♪ Hurry now, and don't be late ♪
♪ 'Cause we ain't got time to chat ♪
♪ You and me, we're going out ♪
♪ To catch the latest sounds ♪
♪ Guaranteed to blow your mind ♪
♪ So high you won't come down ♪
Yes!
♪ Hey, y'all, prepare yourself ♪
♪ For the rubberband man ♪
♪ You've never heard a sound ♪
♪ like the rubberband man ♪
♪ You're bound to lose control ♪
♪ When the rubberband starts to jam ♪
♪ Oh, Lord, this dude is outta sight ♪
♪ Everything he does ♪
♪ seems to come out right ♪
♪ Once I went to hear them play ♪
♪ At a club outside of town ♪
♪ I was so surprised, ♪
♪ I was hypnotized… ♪
Um… why are you home so early?
I just wasn't feeling well.
What you got there?
Homework.
You know, the regional bee's
coming up soon,
and I was wondering if you might…
Is that gonna happen
in Beverly Hills, too?
I don't know.
I told you, you pass summer school,
then you can start worrying
about spelling bee.
- But if you would just…
- Akeelah.
Baby, I'm just
not in the mood, all right?
So how come
you don't teach anymore?
I told you, I do teach.
I administer classes online.
Let's keep going.
"Effervescent."
E-F-F…
E-R-V-E…
S-E-N-T.
"Effervescent."
Come on, come on.
You know this word.
That dog's distracting me!
You're gonna have
much bigger distractions
when you get to the National Bee in D.C.
Now, what is that you're doing
with your hand, huh?
What?
With your hand, your hand.
You… you… you tap, like that.
- What is that?
- I don't know.
So, why do you got all these toys for?
They belonged to my niece.
Oh. So you got any kids
of your own?
You ask a lot of questions,
don't you?
I'm naturally inquisitive.
Yes, which is also sometimes confused
with being naturally obnoxious.
Here. Let me see you jump rope.
Just jump?
Yes, just jump.
Is there a point to this?
♫
Yes, there is. Keep going.
I said keep going.
Concentrate, stay focused.
Spell "effervescent."
Don't think about
anything else. Come on.
Go.
E-F-F-E-R-
- Good!
- V-E-S-C-E-N-T.
"Effervescent."
You see that? That's your trick,
that's your mnemonic device.
Jumping rope?
Keeping time, keeping time.
You see, kids at the bee,
they do all kinds of things.
They sway back and forth,
they turn around in circles,
anything they have to do
to stay focused.
You keep time.
And I bet you if you learned
the words while you kept time,
you would remember them
even better.
♪ Hallelujah ♪
♪ Come on ♪
♫
B-O-G-N-I-A…
Correct. It's a game.
It's too bad your mother
had to work today, Akeelah.
But did she get to see the new dress?
Uh, yeah, she thought it was cool.
Oh, there goes Javier.
This is
a very exciting day for us here
because our top three spellers
will be representing Southern California
at the National Spelling Bee
in Washington D.C. Yes!
So what do you say?
Let's spell!
Well, Josh?
You think she's got a shot at it?
We'll see.
"Alfresco."
A-L-F-R-E-S-C-O.
"Alfresco."
That's correct.
"Loquacious."
"Espadrille."
"Jambalaya."
Would you repeat
the word, please?
"Malloseismic."
M-A-L-O…
S-E…
I-S-M-I-C.
"Malloseismic" is
M-A-L-L-O-S-E-I-S-M-I-C.
It's okay.
D-O-U-B-L-U-R-E.
That's correct.
- "Psalmody."
- Definition, please?
- Psalmody means…
- Mrs. Anderson!
"…of singing in psalms."
I want my daughter
off this stage right now.
P-S-A…
I don't care what she is.
I want her off that stage.
I didn't know she was here,
and I didn't give permission…
- L-M-O…
- Mrs. Anderson…
No. I told here she was not to be here.
And you don't take my child
anywhere without my permission!
Um… D-Y.
"Psalmody."
That's correct.
Next, please.
Excuse me, I'm sorry.
The mother of one of the spellers needs
to speak with her. It's rather urgent.
Uh… Okay.
But she must be back on the stage
before her next turn
or she'll be disqualified.
She'll be back.
I swear we thought you were on board
with this, Mrs. Anderson.
You want to tell me what the heck
is going on here?
Because I never signed
a consent form.
- I signed Daddy's name.
- You did what?!
How do you think I felt
when Javier's mother calls me
to see if I need a ride to USC?!
I don't know who she is
or what she's talking about.
I'm sorry, Mama.
I just wanted to do the bee.
By lying?
By going behind my back
for the last six months?
You might as well say good-bye
to your little friends, Akeelah,
because this is
your last spelling bee.
I beg you, Mrs. Anderson,
to reconsider this.
- She deserves this…
- Bob.
Mrs. Anderson's right.
Akeelah does not deserve to go
to the bee this year.
What?
Next speller, please.
Come on up to the mic, please.
A little faster. Come on.
I apologize, Mrs. Anderson,
if we've contributed to any anguish
you may be feeling.
And who are you, exactly?
My name is Joshua Larabee, ma'am,
and I've been…
Well, I've been helping Akeelah
prepare herself for the spelling bee.
Akeelah's been getting extra school credit
for working with Dr. Larabee.
We designed an entire program
specifically for her.
Why didn't you tell me about this?
Mama, I hated going behind your back.
But every time I brought up the bee,
you didn't want to hear it.
I didn't know what to do.
Can I get the pronunciation again?
He's given it to you five times.
You need to spell the word.
Could you use it in a sentence?
He's already used it in a sentence.
I mean, a different sentence
than he used before?
You only get one sentence.
What's up with this kid?
Well, you must
want this thing pretty bad,
because you ain't never
lied to me before in your life.
So maybe you can tell me
what you think a good punishment
would be for what you did.
I guess I gotta miss the bee.
But that don't just punish you.
Mr. Welch and Dr. Larabee done put
a lot of time into this, too.
So you think of something else.
Maybe double chores for the month.
For the next three months.
She still got time
to get back up on that stage?
Uh, if we move very quickly, yes.
Well, I guess you better
get a move on, hmm?
We haven't much time.
Come on, come on.
Thank you, Mama.
All right.
- Dr. Larabee, is it?
- Yes.
So you actually think Akeelah has a chance
to win the National Spelling Bee?
Yes. Yes, I think she does.
Well… could you use it
in a song?
What?
Never mind. "Ratatouille."
R-A-T-A-T-O-U-I-L-L-E.
"Ratatouille."
Uh… That's correct.
Where's number 73, please?
She's here! She's here!
- Thank you.
- I was about to start tap dancing.
Okay.
"Pluviosity."
Can I get a definition, please?
Pluviosity means "a state
characterized by much rain."
Okay.
♫
"Pluviosity."
P-L-U-V-I-O-S-I-T-Y.
- "Pluviosity."
- That's correct.
♪ R-e-s-p-e-c-t ♪
♪ Find out what it means to me ♪
♪ R-e-s-p-e-c-t ♪
♪ Take care of T-C-B, hey! ♪
I'd like to thank you all
for coming out today
to honor our own
Akeelah Anderson!
Um… thanks…
A lot.
Akeelah, can I get your autograph?
Oh, girl!
You're like a movie star now!
I know. It's pretty crazy.
Hey, my mama says she wants to take us
out to celebrate tonight.
Javier's parents are taking me out.
But you know, maybe we can…
Akeelah?
Excuse me. I'm sorry.
There's a reporter here,
and she wants to talk to you.
- I don't want to talk to no reporter.
- Are you kidding?
This is exactly the kind of good publicity
Crenshaw needs.
Excuse us. Sorry.
Hi. This is Lauren Sanchez
reporting from South Los Angeles.
I'm here with 11-year-old
Akeelah Anderson.
She's a seventh grader
from Crenshaw Middle School
who's heading to
the National Spelling Bee.
How does it feel now that you're going
to be going to Washington D.C.?
- It's pretty cool.
- You excited?
All right, well, let's check out the word
that Akeelah spelled here
at the Southern California finals
that got her to the National Bee.
"Erythrocite." E-R-Y…
♫
Spell "Affenpinscher."
Affen what?
"Grallatorial."
G-R-A-L-A…
Wrong. "Jacquard."
- Dr. Larabee…
- Spell the word. "Jacquard."
- J-A-Q-U…
- What about the "C"?
These are all words that were missed
in last year's National Spelling Bee,
and you can't spell one of them.
Maybe because we haven't
studied them yet.
Why did you cancel yesterday, hmm?
Were you doing another interview,
flaunting yourself in front
of the television cameras?
No, I was at the mall.
Look, I wasn't dissing you.
I was Christmas shopping.
"Dissing"? I thought
we didn't use words like that.
I thought we only used words
from the dictionary in here.
"Dis, dissed, dissing.
To treat with disrespect or contempt,
to find fault with."
New words get added
to the dictionary every year.
Look, I didn't get to the National Bee
until I was 14 years old.
I had no help, I had no training,
I had nothing.
By the time I got
to the third round, I was out.
You have an opportunity
to win this thing.
But all we've done
for eight months is study words.
Why can't we take a break?
Go to a movie, to a basketball game?
Why can't we have fun?
I told you, Denise,
you can have fun after the bee.
Who… who's Denise?
What?
Denise. You called me Denise.
Who's that?
♫
Dr. Larabee, are you okay?
Yes.
Yes, I'm fine.
Listen, I spent all last week
making these for you.
- What are they?
- They're flash cards.
5,000 new words, the types
that you will run into at the finals.
5,000? But we've only got
a few months left.
What, you gonna coach me 24/7?
Uh, no. You're going to…
um, learn these on your own.
There's nothing left
for me to teach you.
What?
You've got it all, Akeelah.
You've got word construction down,
etymology, memorization techniques.
What you need to do now
is just focus on the words.
I can't learn
5,000 new words all by myself.
Yes, you can. You've got a brain
like a sponge.
You just sit down
and you study them.
Dr. Larabee, I swear, I promise.
I won't miss any more sessions,
and I'll do whatever you say.
You can't stop coaching me now.
I told Mr. Welch I'd get you
through the regionals and I've done that.
Now, I don't have anything else
I can teach you.
You need to just take those words
and study them and you'll be all right.
This is why I was at the mall.
Merry Christmas.
♫
Hello?
Hey, girl. What you doing?
Watching TV.
You wanna go skating
this weekend?
Why don't you go with your friends
from Woodland Hills?
What?
Girl, what's wrong with you?
Nothing.
I got homework to do.
I'll see you later.
Keelie!
Keelie! Come on out here!
Girl, you on TV.
Hurry! Hurry!
Come on, look!
…has captivated her community.
All of Los Angeles is talking about her.
Well, if she wins the spelling bee,
it's gonna be like everybody
in the neighborhood wins.
I think it'd be real positive.
You know, good for the community.
I might study for next year's bee.
I wonder what's the matter with…
Akeelah, what's wrong?
I don't want to do the bee no more.
You don't wanna do the bee?
Why not?
Dr. Larabee don't want
to coach me no more.
Georgia don't want to hang out with me.
And all these people
are expecting me to win.
And it's just too hard, mama.
I want it all to stop.
- Baby, you were so…
- Please.
Please.
All right. All right.
I certainly didn't mean
to upset her. I…
Well, I honestly thought I was…
doing the best thing for her.
You know, Dr. Larabee,
my child is only 11 years old,
and she has been through
so much already.
Her father was k*lled
when she was six.
Somebody shot him
on his way home from work.
Do you have any idea what it's like
for a girl to lose her father that way?
I can imagine.
Then why do you wanna cause
this child any more grief?
That's an unfair accusation.
Mrs. Anderson, as I've told you,
I'm… I'm just not in a place
where I can…
be of any more help
to Akeelah right now.
But she needs you.
She does.
I beg to differ, Mrs. Anderson.
It's not me that Akeelah needs.
I remember when he used to take us out
to the ball games,
take us to the movies.
We'd have popcorn fights.
I wanna tell you something.
You know why I didn't want you
to do the bee at first?
'Cause I saw that video of yours,
and I saw one winner
and 200 losers.
And I didn't want you
to be one of those losers.
Did you know your mama…
went to college right after high school?
No.
I had a scholarship.
I was gonna be a doctor.
What happened?
I just felt so out of place
at that school,
I convinced myself that I was gonna fail.
So before that could happen,
I dropped out.
I don't want you to do
the same thing with this bee.
"Gabbro.
A group of dark, heavy rocks."
Can you spell it for me?
G-A-B-R-O.
"Gabbro"?
Actually, it's got two "Bs".
You know, Akeelah, you ain't short
on people who wanna help you.
I'll bet you if you just look around,
you've got 50,000 coaches…
starting with me.
- Mama…
- Mm?
Do you think that maybe
you might go back to college?
I just might.
I love you.
I love you, too.
I love you, too.
"Craquelure."
C-R-A-Q-U-E-L…
Hey, yo. So why are you punkin' out
on this spelling bee, huh?
What, you afraid
of all the suburbia kids now?
No.
Hey!
So how do you spell
all these words anyway?
I study 'em.
Whatever.
Well, there go my ride.
- Hey, what up, Derrick-T?
- What up, Terrence?
Who that?
That ain't nobody.
Just my little sister.
What up, little thing?
Been seein' you on TV.
Trying to win some big contest, huh?
Answer the man.
You know, I won something once.
Fifth grade.
Wrote a poem.
Even got myself
a blue ribbon, too.
Yeah, that's good.
- You wrote yourself a poem.
- Shut up, dawg.
What you think rap is?
What's that in your hand?
- Ain't nothin'. Just some stupid word.
- Oh, you helping her?
Naw, man. I'm chillin'
with you, right?
♫
Nah, man.
Stay here and help your sis.
- Why?
- 'Cause I say so.
Let's break out, man.
Derrick-T!
- What's up?
- I wanna read your poem.
After you win the contest.
Let's go, man.
You ain't gotta help me
if you don't wanna.
En… franchisement?
You mean "enfranchisement"?
Hey, whatever.
Can you spell it?
50,000 coaches.
♫
E-N-F-R…
♪ Wake up, everybody ♪
♪ No more sleeping in bed ♪
♪ No more backward thinking ♪
♪ Time for thinking ahead ♪
♪ The world has changed ♪
♪ so very much ♪
♪ From what it used to be ♪
- Aptery-go-tye.
- What?
- That right there.
- "Apterygote."
Maybe you shouldn't
show me the cards.
♪ - Oh, yeah. Sorry. ♪
♪ - Oh ♪
♪ Wake up, all the teachers ♪
♪ Time to teach a new way ♪
♪ Maybe then they'll listen ♪
♪ To what you have to say ♪
♪ 'Cause they're the ones ♪
♪ who's coming up ♪
♪ And the world is in their hands ♪
♪ When you teach the children ♪
♪ Teach 'em the very best you can ♪
Whoo!
You go, Akeelah, baby!
Make us proud!
♫
5,000. I learned them all.
But I had some help.
You should be very well-prepared, then.
You know, Dr. Larabee?
When I was a little girl…
…my daddy died.
I used to cry all the time.
But then…
I found something that helped.
What was that?
I spelled.
Over and over again…
and I'd feel better.
Maybe when you're thinking of her…
…you can try spelling.
It might help.
Akeelah.
- Who told you?
- You did.
You called me by her name.
Denise.
That's her jump rope, isn't it?
Yes.
Was she your little girl?
Yes.
What happened to her?
She got very sick.
She was only a couple years younger
than you when she passed.
Where's her mama?
She moved to another city,
and, uh…
After it happened, my wife…
Patricia, and I found it…
Slowly it became
very difficult to be…
Anyway, this is…
this is Patricia's garden.
You see, I need…
I need a lot of order in my life.
That's why I don't teach
in the classrooms anymore.
It's just too unpredictable.
Like you.
This whole spelling bee business now
has become
a little too unpredictable as well.
Dr. Larabee…
I… I can't go to D.C. without you.
Yes, you can, Akeelah.
You can do anything you want.
I can't beat Dylan.
- Don't say that.
- It's true.
It doesn't matter how many words I learn,
he'll always know more.
Let me tell you about Dylan.
There's only one person
who can push him to spell as well
as he possibly can.
It's not his Dad.
It's not the spelling bee people.
It's not even himself.
That person is you.
So, when you and I
get to D.C…
Let's make sure we give him
a run for his money.
Okay?
♫
Hey.
Hi.
I'm off to D.C. tomorrow.
Yeah? Well, have fun.
I'm sorry I've been so busy.
It's just, this whole spelling thing's
been real intense.
But you know what?
I'd give it all up if it meant you and me
could hang again.
- That's stupid.
- Why is it stupid?
'Cause people want to see you do good.
I want to see you do good.
You know what? Georgia,
you're my best friend,
and you always tell me I can do things,
even when I think I can't.
But I gotta tell you something.
If you want to be a flight attendant,
you first gotta ride on a plane.
I will, someday.
How about tomorrow?
♫
Girl, I got… I got to talk
to the captain!
Ooh! Forget flight attendant.
I'm gonna be the pilot.
What's wrong with him?
He has an aversion to heights.
It's an aversion to plummeting.
I may puke.
My brother's in the Air Force,
and he says that fear is all in your head.
Here. He gave me this
for good luck.
Don't worry.
I won't impale you.
You know, I never really thanked you
for helping me at the state bee.
- No biggie.
- Actually, it was very chivalrous.
Wow. I'm not thinking
about the plane at all now.
Well, in that case…
♪ Dry all of your tears ♪
♪ There's a smile, ♪
♪ there's a smile ♪
♪ Behind all of the rain ♪
♪ There's sunshine ♪
♪ for miles and miles ♪
♪ Oh, everything, ♪
♪ everything ♪
♪ You mean everything ♪
♪ You mean everything, ♪
♪ everything to me ♪
♪ Everything to me ♪
♪ Everything to me ♪
- I told you not to shake it!
- I'm sorry.
Akeelah, I thought you guys
were supposed to be studying?
- We are.
- Uh-uh.
It sound like a party in here.
Come on, now. You got
a big day tomorrow.
- Y'all better call it a night.
- Half an hour more.
15 minutes.
What do you think Dylan's doing now?
Trying to learn ancient Greek.
Maybe we should invite him over.
That turd juggler?
Forget it.
I'll be back.
- Yes?
- Is Dylan here?
He's busy.
Well, me and some of the other kids
are hanging out in my room,
drinking soda pop
and watching movies.
We thought maybe
he'd like to come over.
I'm sorry, but tomorrow is
the spelling bee.
Well, you know,
sometimes it's okay to take a little rest
right before
the big event, you know?
Well, perhaps that is your strategy,
but not ours.
Wait, wait!
This is for Dylan.
Okay.
"Our deepest fear
is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful
beyond measure.
We ask ourselves,
'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented, and fabulous?'
Actually, who
are you not to be?"
Check. Check, 1, 2.
It's okay.
There.
I'm Ted Saunders here
with Katie Kerwin McCrimmon,
broadcasting live
from the main ballroom
of the Grand Hyatt Washington.
Now, Katie, as a former
spelling bee champ yourself,
who do you think we should be looking for
to do well in this year's competition?
Several of the kids
placed very high in last year's bee,
especially Dylan Chiu.
He's come in second two years in a row.
Kick his butt, Akeelah.
B-u-t-t, butt!
But the speller
I've really got my eye on
is little Akeelah Anderson
from Los Angeles.
She's become a bit of a media sensation.
Yeah! That's my sister!
It's her first try
at the spelling bee circuit.
♫
Could you repeat the word, please?
"Ratiocinate." Ratiocinate.
What in the hell kind of word is that?
R-A-
T-I-O-
C-I-N-A-T-E.
"Ratiocinate."
That's correct.
Yes.
For an 11-year-old kid,
that's just amazing!
But watch out.
One wrong letter, and that's it.
"Oersted."
What's the language of origin?
It's from a Danish name.
I can't stand this Korean kid.
- He's Chinese.
- He's uppity.
O-E-R-S-T-E-D.
That's correct.
What's the definition?
Xylem is a complex tissue
in the vascular system
of higher plants.
Xylem. X-Y-L-E-M.
"Xylem"?
That's correct.
They thought they had me,
but I was too much for them.
… T-H-O-E-P-Y.
- "Orthoepy."
- That's correct.
"Flocculation" is originally Latin.
Could you use it
in a sentence, please?
"Flocculation."
- Can I have a definition, please?
- That's correct.
- Lobscouse.
- The language of origin, please.
Any alternate pronunciations?
"Gastromithia."
Can I get a definition, please?
- Latin.
- "Sclerotic."
- "Madrigal."
- That's correct.
- Can I have the definition, please?
- From earliest known time.
- "Aboriginally?"
- Correct.
- Language of origin?
- Yes!
"Empleomania."
…in any ratio without separation
of two phases.
M-I-S-C-I-B-L-E.
"Miscible."
Yeah!
We're here in the eighth round
of the National Spelling Bee,
with only 30 spellers remaining.
…U-R-S-U-S.
"Excursus"?
Oh!
"Argillaceous."
Excuse me?
"Argillaceous."
Can I have
the definition, please?
Argillaceous means of, relating to,
or containing clay
or clay minerals.
May I have the language
of origin, please?
Latin.
Man, that's a white word
if I ever heard one!
It's a trick!
Stop playing!
It's a suffix that would trip up
most people.
They would tend to spell it
T-I-O-U-S or C-I-O-U-S.
Is it derived from the Latin word argilla,
meaning clay?
That's correct.
A-R-G-
I-L-L-
A…
Come on.
Can I start over?
You may, but you cannot change
the letters you've already spelled.
A-R-G-
I-L-L-
A-C-E-
O-U-S.
"Argillaceous."
That's correct.
She got it! That's my little sister!
♫
Well, it's the 12th round, folks,
and the five remaining spellers are
Mary Calvaretti, age 12,
13-year-old Rajeev Supramonian,
12-year-old Javier Mendez,
Dylan Chiu,
also of Woodland Hills…
Wow, they really crank 'em out
down there, don't they?
Of course, Akeelah Anderson.
Could you use the word
in a sentence, please?
"The Merovingian kings
were known for having
long, red hair."
Okay. Uh…
M-A-
R-O-V-
I-N-G-
I-A-N?
"Merovingian"?
Oh!
"Merovingian" is spelled
M-E-R-O-V-I-N-G-I-A-N.
Forgot to spell it how it sounds.
13th last year, 5th this year.
Next year, I'll take it all.
Now it's your turn.
…I-S-M.
"Mithraditism."
…P-I-S-C-E-N-C-E.
- "Resipiscence."
- That's correct.
…F-I-R-E?
"Vitrophyre"?
Oh! Darn it!
…I-N-O-U-S.
"Serpiginous".
- That's correct.
- Yes!
That's my baby.
We're going
to take a small break
before Akeelah and Dylan commence
with the championship level words.
♫
Pretty good, huh?
You know
what happened last year.
Make sure you stay focused, right?
This is your last
National Spelling Bee.
If you lose to that girl,
you're second place your whole life!
No way! You hear me?
No way!
Peeking on someone?
Just wishing Dylan good luck.
You've done a superb job.
I'm so proud of you.
Now, listen, they're going to hit you
with every trick word they've got.
Now, you just remember
the things that we've studied.
You can take these words apart
even if you've never seen them, right?
But if I don't beat Dylan,
I've still got next year, right?
Well, of course you do.
Although I don't know how much time
we'll have to train together.
I've been asked to come back
and teach at UCLA, and I've said yes.
Really?
Well, far be it from me
to deny the next W.E.B. Dubois
the benefits of my acerbic wit
and sour disposition.
What's the matter?
Nothing, Dr. Larabee.
I should get back.
No matter what happens…
I want you to know that I couldn't have
gotten this far without you.
Akeelah, baby,
there you are. Come on.
I gotta go.
They're about to start up again.
Don't look so nervous.
I hear she had a pretty good coach.
You know, I just found out
that the bee only gives
each kid two plane tickets.
I was wondering how
we ended up with six.
Oh.
Perhaps it was some unexpected largesse
on the part of the bee.
Or perhaps Akeelah's coach
is also pretty generous.
Thanks…
for everything.
You're welcome.
Ladies and gentlemen,
let's welcome Akeelah and Dylan
back to the stage.
Now remember, if either
speller misses a word,
the other has to spell that missed word
plus another to win, right?
That's right,
and we could exhaust
all 25 championship words,
but it's never happened.
The championship words
are just too difficult.
"Filiopietistic."
Can I have the definition, please?
"Of or relating to an often
excessive veneration
of ancestors or tradition."
"Filiopietistic."
F-I-L-
I-O-P-I-E-T-I…
Akeelah, you're up.
"Xanthosis."
"Xanthosis"?
It starts with an "X."
Miss Anderson.
"Xanthosis."
Z-A-N-
T-H-O-
S-I-S.
"Xanthosis."
Dylan, it's your turn.
"Xanthosis."
"Xanthosis."
X-A-N-
T-H-
O-S…
E-S.
"Xanthosis."
Xanthosis is spelled
X-A-N-T-H-O-S-IS.
Can I get some water, please?
Can we please get both spellers
some water?
- What are you doing?
- What are you doing?
- You just threw that word.
- So did you.
You're just gonna give this all away?
Your dad will be happy.
Who cares? He's never won
anything in his life.
I won the regionals
three times in a row,
and I finished second
in the nationals twice.
And now you can finish first.
I can do it next year.
You do your best this year.
- Dylan.
- You do your best…
or I don't want it.
Here's your water.
That's kind of amazing, isn't it,
that both of these incredible spellers
- would stumble on that word?
- I think we've got
some pretty nervous kids up there.
"Effleurage" or "effleurage."
E-F-F-
L-E-U-
R-A-G-E.
"Effleurage."
That's correct.
I tell you, this is just
like watching
two star tennis players
at the net, returning volleys.
I mean, these kids are incredible.
"Lagniappe."
L-A-G-N-I-A-P-P-E.
- "Lagniappe."
- "Summiteer."
Could you use it in a sentence, please?
- Is it a verb?
- "Optimality."
- "Tralaticious."
- That's correct.
- "Reciprocity."
- "Parrhesia."
- Is that Greek?
- Is that Latin?
- What's the language…
- …of origin, please?
- "Liophilize."
- "Zarzuela."
- "Vibrissae."
- "Craquelure."
That's correct.
These kids are chewing
through these super-tough words
like they were breakfast cereal.
You know, they could
actually go the distance
and most people consider that
unthinkable.
We're now 13 words
into the championship level.
If you make it through the remaining
12 words, you'll be co-champions.
That's never happened before.
- "Vinegarroon."
- "Ecdysis."
- "Concitato."
- "Puerperal."
That's correct.
Dylan and Akeelah are
trying to stage a miracle here.
And to make it
to the finish line,
they need each other to succeed.
E-R-A-Z…
A-D-I-A-N.
"Scheherazadian"?
That's correct.
…L-O-G-I-
C-A-L.
- "Palynological."
- That's correct.
Ladies and gentlemen,
we are down to the final
two championship words.
One or both of our spellers will walk away
with the first-place trophy.
Dylan, you're up.
"Logorrhea."
May I have the definition, please?
Logorrhea is excessive and often
incoherent talkativeness.
"Logorrhea."
L-
O-G-
O-R-R-
H-E-A.
"Logorrhea"?
Congratulations, Dylan.
You've won the Scripps
National Spelling Bee.
Yes! Yes!
Go get 'em.
Ladies and gentlemen,
please be seated for Akeelah's turn.
♫
"Pulchritude."
"Pulchritude."
It's derived from
the Latin word pulcher,
meaning "beautiful",
- isn't it?
- That's correct.
- P-
- U-
- L-
- C-
- H-
- R-
- I-
- T-
- U-
- D-
E.
"Pulchritude."
Congratulations, Akeelah.
That's what I'm talking about!
You know that feeling
where everything feels right,
where you don't have to worry
about tomorrow or yesterday,
but you feel safe
and know you're doing
the best you can?
There's a word for that feeling.
It's called love.
L-O-V-E.
And it's what I feel for all my family
and all my coaches
in my neighborhood
where I come from,
where I learned how to spell.
♫
We did it.
♪ Write it down ♪
♪ a thousand times ♪
♪ For a little word ♪
♪ that makes me cry ♪
♪ How I feel about it, ♪
♪ I can't decide ♪
♪ No, I don't know, ♪
♪ so I'll improvise ♪
♪ Is it living in our heart ♪
♪ Or in our mind? ♪
♪ I don't know ♪
♪ So, world, ready or not ♪
♪ Here I go, searching ♪
♪ for the answer ♪
♪ And I'm not gonna stop ♪
♪ Till I find ♪
♪ Where it lives inside me ♪
♪ How does it come to be? ♪
♪ What should it mean to me? ♪
♪ Teach me the definition ♪
♪ Of true love ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, oh ♪
♪ I was so afraid I'd never succeed ♪
♪ But you made me feel ♪
♪ I could do anything ♪
♪ Memorize the things ♪
♪ you would say and do ♪
♪ Must be loving the strength ♪
♪ That I found in you ♪
♪ Is it living in our heart ♪
♪ Or in our mind? ♪
♪ I don't know ♪
♪ So, world, ready or not ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Here I go, searching for the answer ♪
♪ And I'm not gonna stop ♪
♪ Till I find ♪
♪ Where it lives inside me ♪
♪ How does it come to be? ♪
♪ What should it mean to me? ♪
♪ Teach me the definition ♪
♪ Of true love ♪
♪ Love's not wrong, it feels good ♪
♪ True love always believes ♪
♪ And it begins without major risk ♪
♪ Gonna sacrifice ♪
♪ Unconditionally ♪
♪ So, world, ready or not ♪
♪ Oh, here I go ♪
♪ Searching for the answer ♪
♪ And I'm not gonna stop ♪
♪ Till I find ♪
♪ Where it lives inside of me ♪
♪ How does it come to be? ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ What should it mean to me? ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Teach me the definition of… ♪
♪ So, world, ready or not ♪
♪ Here I go ♪
♪ Here I go, searching ♪
♪ for the answer ♪
♪ And I'm not gonna stop ♪
♪ Till I find ♪
♪ Where it lives inside me ♪
♪ How does it come to be? ♪
♪ How does it ♪
♪ come to be? ♪
♪ What should it mean to me? ♪
♪ Tell me what should it mean? ♪
♪ Teach me the definition ♪
♪ Of true love. ♪
Thank you.
♪ I ain't too young to know ♪
♪ That life has its highs and lows ♪
♪ And things won't always turn out ♪
♪ Quite like I think ♪
♪ And though I have much to learn ♪
♪ To weather the twists and turns ♪
♪ I know that I'm capable ♪
♪ To deal with what life brings me ♪
♪ I'll show I'm ready to be ♪
♪ On my own ♪
♪ Let me spread my wings ♪
♪ Let me go ♪
♪ Don't hold so tight ♪
♪ 'Cause I can fly alone ♪
♪ I need you to trust me ♪
♪ Have faith and let me ♪
♪ make it on my own ♪
♪ Please let me, your baby, go. ♪
♪ Still so many answers ♪
♪ I don't know ♪
♪ There are so many answers ♪
♪ Realize that to question ♪
♪ Is how we grow ♪
♪ To question is to grow ♪
♪ So I step out of the ordinary ♪
♪ I can feel ♪
♪ my soul ascending ♪
♪ I'm on my way ♪
♪ Can't stop me now ♪
♪ You can do the same, yeah ♪
♪ What have you done today ♪
♪ to make you feel proud? ♪
♪ To make you feel proud, yeah ♪
♪ Let me hear you, let me hear you ♪
♪ Let me hear you ♪
♪ So, what have you done today ♪
♪ To make you feel proud? ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
♪ 'Cause you could be ♪
♪ so many people ♪
♪ If you make that grab ♪
♪ for freedom ♪
♪ So, what have you done today ♪
♪ to make you feel proud? ♪
♪ What have ♪
♪ you done today? ♪
♪ Yeah, let me hear you ♪
♪ What have you done today? ♪
♪ What have ♪
♪ you done today? ♪
♪ What have you done today ♪
♪ To make you feel proud ♪
♪ Oh, yeah, yeah, ♪
♪ yeah, yeah… ♪
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Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
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