Where can i watch akeelah and the bee

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I had always thought there were only two possible outcomes to the 'pyramidal' type suspense story-- that is, the type like 'Rocky' or 'The Karate Kid' that takes a central character to an ultimate confrontation, with either an uplifting 'Agony of Defeat' type of climax or a 'Success of Course' type outcome. [The underrated Searching for Bobby Fischer is another excellent example.]

Silly me!

There's at least one more kind of ending possible, and Akeelah and the Bee provides a perfect example of it. I'm sure it will be copied extensively as time rolls forward, but this movie is the first one to feature it, and the surprise is delightful. In other words, it doesn't end the way you think it will, NO MATTER HOW you thought it would!

It's an original story in some other ways as well: (1) It looks at stereotyping from several different angles, not just the standard two or three; (2) the standard 'gruff curmudgeon' authority figure [played by Laurence Fishburne] that is normal fare in these kinds of plots is in this case a very vulnerable person who is willing to let that fact show, and this gives a depth to the story that is usually missing; (3) the 'bad guy' opponent has demons of his own to fight, paralleling in many ways the demon that the protaganist faces. This gives a complexity to the competitions that is almost always missing in this type of story.

The tale revolves around the title character, Akeelah, who lives in southwest Los Angeles, with all of the issues that such a setting implies. She becomes hooked on 'spelling bees,' and in spite of heavy odds against her participation creates for herself the dream of competing in the national championship that is broadcast on ESPN every year. It's no spoiler to say that she does indeed get there, surmounting odds of many kinds. But it *would* be a spoiler to say what happens once she does reach her goal, so I'll remain silent on that point. (Just remember what I said earlier, about there not being only two possible outcomes to such a plot.)

What I won't stay silent about is my enthusiasm for the director, the screenplay, the casting, the editing, and, most of all, the star of this motion picture. And when I say Star I'm not exaggerating. Keke Palmer steals this show, from the first instant she appears. Nor is she merely a very bright child [or very young adult, if you prefer] who can get away with playing herself provided there's an excellent director handy. There IS an excellent director handy, but no way does she play herself, as will become apparent when you watch the extensive interviews with her that are part of the extras in this package.

Since making this movie, she has become quite successful in the music business, as a singer and star of music videos. But in that genre, she is an entirely different person from the character she portrays in this movie, as well as being yet again distinct from the 'real' Keke in the interviews. She's a complex person with a multitude of talents, and the producers of this movie are luckier than they can imagine that they found her for the role. She's PERFECT.

The same can't be said for the motion picture as a whole. For one thing, this type of formulaic plot has become so familiar to us that certain scenes can be 'smelled' long before they show up. [Credit the editors that they cut one such scene out before the movie was released, though it still exists in the extras on the DVD.]

Another problem is that when the 'bad guy' is both a kid and a member of a minority himself, it's hard to stay mad at him for very long, but he does a good job [along with the excellent direction] of keeping the 'bad vibes' flowing as long as he possibly can.

As is true of most really good 'children's movies,' this isn't a movie just for children. There's a lot in it for appreciative adults as well. I recommend it highly, for viewers of all ages.

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