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PREMIERE.COM
Spellbound Release Date: April 30, 2003 Starring: Angela Arenivar, April DeGideo, Harry Altman, Ted Brigham, Neil Kadakia Directed by: Jeff Blitz 4 stars By BROOKE HAUSER It starts with a sigh, followed by a squinch of the eyes, a twist of the neck, and a thrust of the tongue. Finally, Harry Altman asks the judges a question about the word banns: "You said it's a homonym, and you told me what it means—but am I allowed to ask what a homonym means?" So begins Spellbound, a charming documentary about that Olympics-caliber intellectual standoff known as the National Spelling Bee. Directed by newcomer Jeff Blitz, it tracks the lives of eight soon-to-be contestants from around the country as they prepare for the 1999 competition in Washington, D.C. A series of candid, kid-tailored interviews (on a swing-set, in a bedroom) reveal a fittingly diverse group: among them, the painfully earnest daughter of a Mexican farmhand and a precocious Connecticut native who sings a cappella when she isn't hunched over the dictionary. But while some spell because they can, others see words like tergiversate and logorrhea as potential passports to the American Dream. Indeed, throughout the film Blitz masterfully captures the immigrant experience in small-town America, whether it's as subtle as the congratulatory Hooters sign erected in Nupur Lala's honor, or as resounding as the father who pays 1,000 people in India to pray for his son's victory at nationals. Like all great documentaries Blitz's is full of discovery, but it's also packed with nail-biting suspense. Don't be fooled by the "Quiet Please" placards and general nerdiness of the anticipated event—even Hercules would quake under the threat of sudden elimination at every turn. But while it may be excruciating to watch a speller miss a word by a letter, it's just as exciting to watch another kid jump the hurdle. © 2003 Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc. Reprinted with permission. premiere.com » |