Seemingly, Spellbound movie (2002) has been an Oscar nominated for Best Documentary. It is basically about eight children competing in a spelling championship and expectantly, to gain the title of the best speller in the country. But the movie shows more than just competition, it uses the spelling bees as a metaphor for the immigrant and minority experience in the United States. Jeffery Blitz has targeted the theme of race and class in the gentlest way possible to convey the message and not offend any cast or nation. Some might think it is the most disturbing side of the Spellbound movie while other believe it’s a charming, unbearably funny movie with a great message of inspiration.
Harry, Angela, Ted, April, Neil, Nupur, Ashley, and Emily, the competitors director Jeffrey Blitz follows from hometown to championship, are all outsiders in one way or another. Keeping in mind their outside status all of the eight contestants have to work really hard to prove themselves worthy of the title. The only thing common between all them is the nerdy obsession with spelling. April remarks that she does, indeed, have interests other than spelling, which include such hobbies as drinking coffee. But aside from the time invested in caffeine addiction, April, like the other spellers, spends most of her time preparing for the championships. The Spellbound movie shows that there are contestants who study for up to four hours a day but some, like Neil, who belongs to an Indian family is tutored by French, German and Spanish teachers incase the spelling bee competition word is rooted in one of those languages.
Seeing the contestants relating to each other is gratifying, Spellbound movie tends to ignore the fact that cultural and class differences are what make the whole idea of America interesting and vibrant. The movie fixates on how to pass by those differences and works to assure that “they” (Americans) are just like “us”. In this focus on "good" productive citizenship, these minority subjects, child and adult alike, seem to have bought fully into the message. Several parents remark that in America you really can achieve class mobility, so long as you work hard and stay in school. A nice thought, but one that, most would agree, is not necessarily true.
Spellbound movie is about finding a place to fit in and that's part of the film's ultimate problem: it dismisses differences as minor, easily surmountable obstacles that must be overcome in order to be "properly" American. You won’t find a single frame of Spellbound that wants you to turn away from the screen and this is the key to great filmmaking. In this story, Blitz has found an endless supply of wonderful characters and transfixing moments. Ninety-seven minutes doesn’t feel like enough time to spend with these eight youths; we want to follow them even more. The movie was so inspiring that it will probably want you to tune into ESPN to catch the real spelling bee competition.