POP SOME CORN AND POP IN A FLICK:

Spellbound:

If you're headed to the video store this afternoon and looking for a suggestion, allow us to recommend Spellbound, a film sure to drive the anti-immigrationists in the crowd insane. It's a documentary about the 1999 National Spelling Bee, which follows a handful of the regional victors as they make their way to Washington, DC and compete against one another. The cast of true life characters is its own Rainbow Coalition, including a couple of Indians--whose parents express a fierce appreciation for, and love of, America--and, Angela Arenivar, whose father came here from Mexico just so that his kids could be educated in America. He doesn't speak a word of English himself, yet here's his daughter joining the elite spellers in the country.

Meanwhile, lest that seem too politically correct, there's one deeply disturbing member of the ensemble: the mother of Ashley White, the only black contestant we follow. A single mother in Washington, DC, she consistently demonstrates an attitude of entitlement and resentment that contrasts sharply with all of the other parents.

In the end the film is a bit overlong, but there's genuine drama not just in the human stories but in the contest itself. You're pretty much guaranteed to play along and try spelling the words yourself--in all likelihood competing against your spouse, even if only clandestinely. The real reason to watch though is too see the nation through the eyes of the immigrant families, a view that will make even the most jaundiced realize what America means to those who come here from countries largely devoid of like opportunity.

MORE:
BUY IT: Spellbound (DVD) (Amazon.com)
-REVIEW ARCHIVE: Spellbound (2002) (MRQE.com)