Akeelah and the Bee is a drama about an 11-year old girl (Keke Palmer) who grew up in South Los Angeles, She discovers her talent for spelling.

With this talent she hopes to make it to the National Spelling Bee. Despite the bullies and her mom’s objections, Akeelah found help within the school district, a teacher (Laurence Fishburne) who was willing to help her and motivate her to the finals.

Naturally, there were some challenges she had to face along the way. Akeelah was bullied physically and emotionally for being a “brainiac” but that didn’t stop her from thriving to finish and win the National Spelling Bee. (Yeah, it’s a spoiler, but it is a feel-good movie so what else would you expect?)

This is a very motivational movie that reminds you to strive and push through the obstacles of life that seem to be holding you back. This is definitely a message that is important in 2021, although the movie was first in theaters on April 28, 2006, and in DVD form as soon as November 23, 2006.

The budget for this movie was $6 million, but it earned $19 million at the box office. The movie is currently available at the Solano Public Library and streaming on Amazon Prime, Google Play and several other services.