1%-5% of your purchase will help support the PTC.

Spellbound

By Kellie MacDonald 

The Motion Picture Association of America's "suitable for all audiences," G-rating has almost always been reserved for children's movies, and animated fairy tales.  Incredibly, this summer adults will be treated to a G-rated film, which is clever, uproariously funny and exciting, but also clean!  I absolutely loved Spellbound, and I'm happy to announce that it has been awarded the PTC Seal of Approval.  I think it is a movie that PTC members and their families will enjoy.

Although Spellbound is a G-rated film, it does not insult the viewer's intelligence.  It is a movie your older children will enjoy and a film that adults will treasure.  A film of this caliber and integrity is a wonderful gift and is sorely needed in this summer's swamp of R-rated films.

Spellbound is an Academy Award-nominated documentary which follows eight American children as they compete in the 1999 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee.  Harry, Angela, Ted, April, Neil, Nupur, Emily and Ashley are a true picture of America's diversity; they hail from areas as different as a manicured suburb in Connecticut, a doublewide trailer in the Ozarks, and a tough neighborhood near Washington, D.C.  They are the children of immigrants from Mexico and India; teachers; ranch hands; and professionals.  While some of the competitors have elaborate spelling methods and hire tutors in German, French and Latin in order to learn and comprehend word roots, others enjoy the quiet solitude of studying alone.  The things that tie the competitors together are their passion for learning and their desire to succeed at "the Bee." 

Since Spellbound is about pre-teens competing in a spelling bee, you can be assured that there is no sex, violence or foul language.  This is a movie that is safe and fun for the entire family.  I found it amazing to see the dedication these children have when preparing for the National Spelling Bee, and I hope their devotion to learning and education will be indicative of their future successes.  These children will also succeed because despite their socio-economic, ethnic and geographic differences, they all have the support of their families, schools and communities.   The film contains positive messages about the importance of, and love for education, family support and healthy competition.

I appreciated this movie because it champions the desire for knowledge.  Sometimes intelligent kids with a passion for learning are social pariahs, but in Spellbound, these talented and engaging children are celebrities.  The children sign autographs in their small towns, are the guests of honor at pep rallies, are interviewed in the local newspaper and on TV, and are recognized for doing something positive and admirable.  And although some of the competitors comment that they don't "fit in" in their communities, the National Spelling Bee is a place where they feel instantly welcomed and accepted.

Although I knew that the National Spelling Bee could only have one winner I cheered for each child; the audience and I let out a collective moan whenever any competitor was eliminated.  The competition became a battle not of child vs. child, but of child vs. word – and how can you not cheer when a child triumphs over a dictionary armed with such befuddling words as "cephalagia"?

As a movie lover, I am not only proud that this movie was made, I am delighted that it has been warmly received by audiences and critics alike.  Spellbound is intelligent fun for the entire family!  Rarely does a G-rated film appeal to adults almost more than it does to children.  A movie as worthy as Spellbound deserves every accolade it earns and by applauding this movie with the PTC Seal of Approval, we are applauding filmmakers who create clean and entertaining family films.  The complexity of some of the words during the competition may be better appreciated by children over the age of 10, but younger viewers may associate with the stress of a spelling test, the excitement of the National Spelling Bee and the enthusiasm of its young competitors.  And who knows, the film may even spark a child's desire to compete in a future National Spelling Bee! 

Unlike other children's movies, no matter how successful Spellbound is with critics and audiences, it will never enjoy a lucrative promotional campaign with a fast-food restaurant, nor will the characters be made into action figures or appear on lunchboxes.  In today's culture especially, children deserve real heroes – not animated, digitally enhanced or scripted characters created to fit a writer's image of what is socially admirable.  It's a shame because the young role models in Spellbound should be the ones children strive to emulate.

Family Movie Reviews

The Parents Television Council - www.parentstv.org

Have you seen this movie? Comment on this review, Click here!