Spellbound (2002)

You won't be disappointed!

The greatest movie ever made..!

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

As a tedious patchwork of one-dimensional caricatures, wrapped in an overly twee soundtrack and outstaying its welcome by a good 30 minutes, the only meaningful question this documentary manages to raise is whether this end result was cynically crafted by its director or unintentionally spawned through a desire to create something out of nothing.It bewilders me that this received any kind of nominations at all, at times it felt as though it had descended into daytime telly-like levels of editing, most notably with the interviews with the respective parents.I can only assume this documentary gains some kind of greater resonance in the US where spelling bees are more familiar, however for me here in the UK, it falls very flat.

I was even more shocked by the enthusiastic comments posted here than by the movie itself. Is THIS America, following a meaningless aversion and letting kids waste their time in a kind of sportive drilling as this spelling contest? If all of them had spent their time in a more intellectual way, they could have reached much more than with spelling like a computer. Especially the Indian father of (was it Neil) with his obsessive preparations seems disgusting to me, like someone who lives the mythes of "the American dream" as a caricature. I miss all along in this movie a critical point of view; it shows us struggle and hopes of all these children, but leaves us with many unanswered questions: what was it all about? Is everyone happy with the procedures of this contest? What about the story of the little ADHD-guy who is really lovable, but must be a nightmare to his mother and teachers? I asked myself all the time where the hard-working Asians where. No single one to spot on the podium. Maybe they understood and did real studies instead? I give three stars because nevertheless, this movie is a quite interesting peer into some parts of the American society. And it's not a boring movie. But it's quite flat and stays on the surface. The stupid repetitive soundtrack that creates (too) much artificial tension makes it worse, not better. Anyway, after seeing this movie, I felt instantly much more comfortable in the relaxed variety of European culture.

There was nothing spellbinding about this documentary. The obsessive and aggressively fanatical drive of these kids and their stage-parents to win or place made for a tedious yet tense watching experience. The worst aspect of this project--which earns it a negative star--was the monotonous Orff instrument soundtrack. Who wants to hear repetitive patterns of toy xylophones for 90 minutes? Someone was out of his mind when he scored this thing. My wife and I had to mute and fast-forward entire segments just to survive! I'm a professional musician, piano teacher and children's music specialist, so perhaps I was more attuned to the soundtrack than others, but it seems a total lack of creativity to think an entire movie should have Orff with harmonica in the background. It was as painful as Harry's facial contortions. Since when is Asperger's Syndrome comical?

I love this movie. I am actually a teacher, and sometimes I get very teary eyed when I watch the DVD of this movie. We spend a lot of time talking about all of the bad things that kids can do, and we sometimes don't recognize the outstanding achievements that many young people can make. The idea for this movie is amazing. The editing and storytelling is done remarkably. Each child's thought processes, their life in school, and their families are portrayed delicately, and with a healthy dose of humor. My favorite part is when the Indian student's father said that in America, you can lose at something, then still recover and be a success. I feel that this is a part of the American dream that many Americans take for granted. With all of the great aspects of this movie, you also end up learning many things. That being said, I wish that the DVD did a better job with updates of the participants. It would have been nice to see how being in the contest and the film changed these kids' lives.