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'Akeelah and the Bee': Yet another spellbinder

One successful movie on a subject often begets more, but who would have guessed there were so many stories worth telling about spelling bees.

Three years ago, the heartbreak and exhilaration of tackling the mysteries of intricate words was brought to the screen in the suspense-filled documentary, Spellbound. Last year there was Bee Season, a film adaptation of Myla Goldberg's spiritual novel of a Jewish family plunged into crisis soon after a young girl begins excelling at spelling.

Lions Gate 'Akeelah and the Bee' B+ The verdict: An uplifting, if manipulative, tale of a tiny girl's climb up the spelling ladder. Director: Doug Atchison Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Keke Palmer, Curtis Armstrong, J.R. Villarreal Run time: 112 minutes Release date: April 28, 2006 Rating: PG for some language. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'Akeelah and the Bee'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

And now there is Akeelah and the Bee, another engrossing yarn about a tiny African-American underachiever who finds she has an untrained talent for spelling, which galvanizes her proud, though impoverished, Los Angeles community.

It seems that you can vary the specifics of the situation, or modify the ethnic background of the characters, but place a tot in front of a microphone and ask him to spell an unfathomable word and we are instantly enthralled.

This is fortunate, because much of Akeelah and the Bee is awfully contrived in a blatant assault on our heartstrings. Chances are it will reach that target if you simply do not resist, largely because of a winning, natural performance by 12-year-old Keke Palmer in the title role.

The daughter of a murdered father and a perpetually exhausted hospital worker mom (Angela Bassett), Akeelah has grown shy and withdrawn, but she begins to blossom when her teacher discovers she has a knack for spelling. There is nothing mystical about it, however. Her father had instilled in her an affection and appreciation for words, which has led her to devour the dictionary and make her own lists of the more arcane specimens.

Her doting principal (Curtis Armstrong) encourages her to compete, introducing her to UCLA professor and former bee contender Dr. Larabee (a quietly intense, melancholy Laurence Fishburne). After a struggle of wills, he tutors the girl, introduces her to word roots and foreign fragments, increasing her spelling power as she moves with an inevitability toward the national bee in Washington, D.C. Fishburne and Palmer play off each other ably and we really did not need his character to have lost a daughter for us to accept the surrogate roles they represent to each other.

Akeelah's overprotective mother worries as Akeelah's circle of friends expands with the city-wide bee. The girl crosses bus lines and cultural divides trekking to tony, affluent Woodland Hills to study with open, well-adjusted Javier (JR Villarreal) and to be snubbed by parent-driven, competitive Dylan (Sean Michael Afable).

Of course, Akeelah does make it to the bee finals, which leaves the film with only two possible endings — winning or losing — but first-time writer/director Doug Atchison handles that potential cliché with satisfying assurance.

The casting of Fishburne and Bassett suggests the electric crackle of a What's Love Got to Do With It re-match, which only flares up briefly. Still, both help to elevate the movie, which churns the emotions, managing to be quite touching and only borderline manipulative.