Spellbound (2002) (***1/2)
review by Jon Waterman

This documentary follows eight young hopefuls as they compete in the 1999 National Spelling Bee. They come from all over the country. They study hard and spell harder and harder words to get to the finals in Washington DC. Some may not make it to the ESPN telecast of the later rounds. Out of those that do make it to the televised rounds, only one can be crowned the winner. Pick your favorite, try to remain seated and enjoy the ride.

First-time director Jeffrey Blitz finds some great kids to work with. Many people have this stereotypical view of what a spelling bee contestant must be like. They are usually nerdy, social outcasts and unusually intelligent. The movie doesn’t do much to dispel this theory (no pun intended), but instead it goes further. Each of the eight kids is remarkably intelligent and they do seem to fit into the nerdy, social outcast category as well. But they are definitely individuals with their own unique personalities and approaches to school, life and the contest. These kids seem relatively comfortable with the camera and they all interview well. I mentioned picking a favorite earlier and it’s very easy to do just that.

The movie is edited well, too. Editor Yana Gorskaya knows how to build suspense on an event that took place three years ago. Granted the audiences are probably not the same and so few people know who won going in to see this, but Yana still does a good job of it. There are times when the speller is given a word and then as they mull it over in their head, we cut to an interview talking about what the competition means and how they hope they win, but don’t expect to or what place they think they’ll finish in. Even though they claim that winning isn’t the only thing, they still want to give it their best shot. It builds up the sympathy and plays with your emotions (especially if the kid is your favorite). Then we see him or her spell. And unless you know the outcome beforehand, there really is no way to know what will happen. This technique is used several times. Sometimes they get it right and sometimes they don’t. It takes the predictability out of the movie and puts the excitement and fun right in the forefront.

I would hope that this movie would get kids excited or interested in spelling. I would hope that this movie would get adults excited or interested about watching future competitions on television. Do I think either will happen? Not really. If nothing else, I hope people do see this movie. It’s funny. It’s captivating. And it’s a winner.

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