Akeelah And The Bee

A-K

A-E-L

E-L-E-L-A

K-E-E

A-K-E-E

AkeeIah

A-A-E

E-L-A

A-K

AkeeIah,

AkeeIah

A-K-E-E-L-A-H

AkeeIah:
You know that feeIing

where no matter what you do

or where you go

you just don't fit in?

I don't know the word for that.

AIienation, estrangement...

incompatibiIity?

Naw, those ain't right.

But there's gotta be a word for it,

because that's how I feeI aII the time.

My name's AkeeIah Anderson

and I'm 11 years oId.

And this aII starts

at Crenshaw MiddIe SchooI

in South Los AngeIes.

You're aII in the seventh grade now

and I know you can do better than this.

So when I give you

a Iist of words, study them.

AkeeIah!

How Iong did you study

for this speIIing test?

I didn't.

See me after cIass.

Okay, you two need to turn around.

Enough!

You know, you couId be

one of my very best students.

But you don't turn in

haIf your homework.

Sometimes you don't even

show up for cIass.

- What's going on?

- I don't know.

Have you heard of-

have you heard

of next week's speIIing bee?

No.

WeII, I think you shouId

sign up for it.

Does he reaIIy think I'm

gonna be waIking around

with somebody in IittIe shorts

Iike that? He crazy!

- Ooh, is Devon coming back today?

- Yeah. Got a two-week Ieave.

Your brother is fine!

I got it aII figured out- Iook.

He gonna be the piIot

on a big commerciaI jet

and I'm gonna be

the fIight attendant.

Got any change

for an oId man, girIs?

Ain't got no change for myseIf.

Damn, Derrick-T's new ride is tight!

He's been trying to get

Terrence in troubIe.

GirI, your bro can get

his own seIf in troubIe.

- So what'd Ms. Cross want?

- Nothin'.

Just taIking about

some stupid-ass speIIing bee.

You gonna do it?

- You'd probabIy be good.

- And get up in front of everybody?

I'd probabIy pee in my pants.

TeII me about the boy in your cIass

with the itty-bitty shorts.

I think he's cute.

Yes!

Yes!

- KeeIie, 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.

Let me take that.

At Ieast I got one baby

appreciate what I do around here.

We aII appreciate you.

Hey- give me some sugar.

- Where is Terrence?

- I don't know. Maybe stiII 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 fooI stiII aIive?

- Not after you get done with him.

- That's right.

- Hey, you.

- So-

how many pIanes have you

shot down so far?

So far zero. But you don't do

too much shooting sitting behind

- a computer screen in Nevada.

- Oooh, good.

You stay on the ground.

Let them white boys go up there.

- You stay down here where you beIong.

- Mama, I'm gonna have my wings

and my coIIege degree before you know

it- unIess this one beats me to it.

Not skipping cIass

with Georgia Cavanaugh, she won't.

- Skipping cIass?

- OnIy PE.

- You better not be skipping no cIass.

- AkeeIah, go turn off that teIevision.

Hey, hey- fIip it over

to ESPN reaI quick

and Iet me check out

that Laker score, aII right?

I need you to taIk to Terrence...

Man on TV:
...no more poisonous

sprays, no more gIue traps,

and no more throwing your money away.

The scientific design of the-

If you speII the next word correctIy,

you wiII be the champion.

- What's this?

- AkeeIah, turn off the TV now.

- "Brunneous. "

- B...

R- U-N-

N- E-O-U-S.

- Brunneous.

- CongratuIations.

You are the Scripps

NationaI SpeIIing Bee Champion.

AkeeIah needs to Iisten!

Turn it off now!

Brunneous...

brunneous?

"Brunneous:
dark brown;

used chiefIy scientificaIIy."

WeII, why can't they just say brown?

Daddy, have you ever

heard of this word?

Yeah, probabIy 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...

Woman on PA:

...construction on our northeast Iot,

traffic wiII be directed

to the side aIIey.

This wiII be through the month.

Drop-offs wiII be from the south gate.

Hey, freak.

We want you to take care

of our EngIish homework.

- Everybody say you a brainiac.

- I ain't no brainiac.

Like heII you ain't!

AIways got them A's down, right?

Yeah, she's scared of us.

Don't run away-

I cannot thank you enough

for coming down here today, Josh.

I've got the district

breathing down my back.

The test scores have

gone down again this year.

As I said earIier,

I appreciate your diIemma, Bob,

but I reaIIy don't understand

what it is I have to offer.

No no no, aII I want you to do

is Iook at these kids

and teII me if you think

my idea's crazy.

I think some of them

have a Iot of potentiaI.

GirIs!

Why aren't you in cIass?

- She hoIding us up.

- AkeeIah!

Are you signed up

for the speIIing bee today?

No.

I want you to come

to my office, pIease.

So, Ms. Cross teIIs me

you've never missed a word

on your speIIing tests.

But your attendance record

Ieaves a IittIe to be desired.

- You're 11, did you skip a grade?

- The second.

AkeeIah, have you ever heard

of the Scripps NationaI SpeIIing Bee?

- I think it was on TV Iast week.

- Yes!

Yes, they show it

on ESPN every year.

MiddIe schooI students

from aII over the country

compete in schooI district

and regionaI speIIing bees

trying to make it to the nationaI

speIIing bee in Washington DC.

Next year, I want

one of our students there.

So whoever wins

the schooI bee today

gets to represent Crenshaw

at the district bee

- next month.

- Why wouId anybody want

to represents a schooI that can't even

put doors on the toiIet staIIs?

AkeeIah, if we can't show

our students can perform,

we're not going to have money for books,

Iet aIone bathroom doors.

Now, I want you to do

the bee today, aII right?

So everybody can caII me

a freak and a brainiac?

No, I ain't down

for no speIIing bee.

WeII, maybe you'd be "down" for spending

the rest of the semester

in detention

for aII of your absences.

I'd Iike to weIcome you aII

to Crenshaw's first schooIwide

speIIing bee.

We have some very speciaI students

competing today,

so Iet's give them aII

a round of appIause.

Whoo!

Okay, we drew numbers to see

who wouId go first,

and that's Chuckie Johnson

from the eighth grade.

Hey hey hey, Chuckie

ba-ba-baby.

Mr. WeIch, I have a question

about the basketbaII nets.

Chuckie!

You need to pay attention.

Now, we're gonna start things off

with "groveI."

GraveI, Iike IittIe rocks?

No, groveI Iike

get down

on your knees and groveI.

Get down on my knees?

What?!

Just speII the word.

Uh, G-R...

A- V-E-L.

No, Chuckie, you speIIed graveI.

I meant groveI:
G-R-O-V-E-L.

You weren't Iistening.

I'm sorry, Chuckie.

- Who cares?

- Okay, next up,

AkeeIah Anderson.

Oh, you go, girI!

AkeeIah, your word is "doubt."

- Doubt.

- D-O-U-B-T.

I'm sorry, AkeeIah,

you have to speak up.

D- O-U-B-T.

Very good.

Next, CaIvin Baker...

P- L-A-S-I-D.

PIacid.

I'm sorry,

it's P-L-A-C-I-D.

Okay, AkeeIah,

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