No, she doesn't have a photographic memory, nor is she channeling the occult as the heroine of " Bee Season" does. Beating time with her hand against her thigh as sort of a metronome, she cranks out the letters and arrives triumphantly at the words. Each of these illustrates a transformation from the Influence Character Problem of Disbelief to the Influence Character Solution of Faith.The thing with Akeelah ( Keke Palmer) is that she can spell, whether she wants to or not. Various South Central community figures recover belief in themselves and their community. Dylan intentionally misspells a contest-winning word when he realizes Akeelah has thrown the contest in his favor. Akeelah’s mother reconsiders pursuing the college degree she abandoned after feeling she couldn’t make it. Larabee goes back to work after a long sabbatical of disillusionment. That’s a whole lot of change characters in one story. Since Akeelah is a Steadfast Main Character, ALL of the Influence Characters Change. Not only is this an interesting and less traditional way of representing the Influence Character-especially in this genre-it has an intriguing side effect. Larabee as Influence Character, but he is soon replaced by spelling wunderkind Dylan. About the middle of the film (or just after), the Influence Character functions are handed off to Akeelah’s mom and various community representatives in Act III. Larabee acts as Influence Character for most of Act I and Act II.
Rather than the traditional single character Influence Character, the Influence Character functions are handled by many characters.ĭr. What is interesting, however, is the manner in which the Impact Character throughline is explored. The storyform for Akeelah and the Bee is straightforward. And, in a split decision, she ties for first place (Story Outcome: Success). Her school and community get great exposure. Driven by her feelings (MC Problem: Feelings), she is inclined to take the path of least resistance (MC Symptom of Temptation), choosing to skip classes to lessen her reputation as a “brainiac.” Only when Akeelah does what she is “supposed” to do does she feel fulfilled (MC Response: Conscience).Īs one might expect, Akeelah makes it to the finals. Eleven-year-old Akeelah is a stand out and shows great potential.Īkeelah (Main Character) is an African American eleven-year-old girl from South Central Los Angeles with a natural gift for spelling (Main Character Domain: Situation). Larabee, a distinguished teacher and language scholar, to evaluate the students’ potential. The principal enlists the help of his college pal, Dr. The principal decides to have a school spelling bee hoping that one of his students will make it to the nationals and bring exposure (and money) to the school (Overall Story Throughline: Activity Story Goal: Obtaining). The Overall Story throughline is about a middle school seriously hurting for money just to provide the necessary basics. The sound story structure at the heart of Akeelah and the Bee gives this “ghetto kid does good” an honest emotional resonance and earns its feel-good ending. While treading familiar territory, it dodges most major genre clichés through the creative use of the story’s peripheral characters. Akeelah and the Bee is an uplifting, family-oriented film that rises above its “Afternoon Special” subject matter.
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