Spellbound

DVD review from The Movie Snob

Spellbound (B). Despite critical raves, I resisted seeing this movie for years. Why? Because of my own, scarring spelling-bee experiences back in elementary school. Even now, I occasionally wake up in the middle of the night screaming "Discotheque! D-I-S-C-O-T-H-E-Q-U-E! Discotheque!" But I digress. This is a documentary about several contestants in the 1996 National Spelling Bee. The first part of the movie spends several minutes on each of the contestants, following them around in their home towns, showing their families and study routines, etc. Then the scene shifts to the actual competition, and we see our contestants get eliminated one by one. It was impossible not to root for some of the contestants, like the girl from an inner-city area in Washington, DC, or the Texas girl who was the daughter of Mexican immigrants. And I admit that I rooted against some of the other ones, who shall remain nameless and descriptionless. Not as enjoyable as the similar Mad Hot Ballroom, but a worthwhile movie for sure.