Rating:
(out of 5 stars)Director: Jeffrey Blitz
Producer: Jeffrey Blitz, Sean Welch
Director of Photography: Jeffrey Blitz
Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew
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SPELLBOUND Rating: (out of 5 stars)Director: Jeffrey Blitz Producer: Jeffrey Blitz, Sean Welch Director of Photography: Jeffrey Blitz Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew |
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Review by: Ryan
Kugler
6/27/02
I remember sitting at home one day several years ago flipping through the different channels and coming across the National Spelling Bee. The plan was to check it out for a minute or so then move on to MTV or E!, but once I started, I was hooked and ended up watching the entire competition. I never would have guessed that a bunch of preteens spelling words that I had never heard of could be so fascinating, but there I was, transfixed. I was surprised to see it on ESPN as I never really considered spelling a sport, although I was on the edge of my couch and was as interested in the outcome as I would have been watching game 7 of the World Series.
Spellbound is that rare documentary that's as funny, exciting and entertaining as any fictional film that Hollywood puts out. The set-up and technique is simple, but it manages to work beautifully. It all started when director Jeffrey Blitz and co-producer Sean Welch got together and decided that it would be neat to follow around a group of kids as they prepared for the National Spelling Bee, a yearly event that awards $10,000 to the best speller in the nation. Eight kids were chosen and the rest is history.
The first half of the film is an introduction to these eight kids and their family members. We get to spend some quality time with each and although the sum total is only about eight minutes, we do get to know them. We share their interests, the relationships that they have with family and friends and the unconventional spelling techniques that most use. The filmmakers give us both males and females and kids with different ethnic and social backgrounds. As soon as we learn all that we need to about one, we're on to the next and don't return to the previous until we meet up with everybody once again, several months later, at the big competition.
The final half-hour covers the exciting event and as we see familiar faces either get the boot or go on to the next round, it's both heartbreaking and uplifting. There was a real nervous tension in the screening and when the kids that we grew to like got the axe, you could feel the disappointment in the audience (there were a lot of oohs and aahs). Two hundred and fifty kids started out in the spelling bee, but only one winner emerges at the end. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that the filmmakers were lucky with the eight subjects that they chose.
While I was totally caught up in the competition, rooting along with the rest of the audience, I was most interested in the first half, where Blitz and Welch explore what these kids are all about. Some of the them study for an hour a day, while others study for ten (including weekends). Studying usually includes reading the dictionary or going over words that were used in previous competitions. We also get a chance to witness some of the different forms of parenting that goes on. Some parents are tougher on their kids than others, though they all show love and support and are always encouraging. I was worried about how some of these parents would react to their kid getting kicked out of the competition, but all were proud with the effort that their child put forth.
Simply put, I loved Spellbound. It's a fast-paced ninety minutes that never takes itself too seriously. This isn't your typical documentary. It's not very deep and the subject matter isn't of any great importance, but it's as well done and involving as any that I've seen. Who would have thought that the year's most entertaining film would be a documentary about a bunch of kids spelling big words?
(Opens in New York on April 30, 2003.
Expands to more cities at later dates.)
(Screened at the 2002 Los Angeles Film Festival)
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