C-O-I-N-C-I-D-E-N-C-E
Tuesday night, after N.O. and I spent the day helping move e-dub into her new apartment in "Jerusalem on the Brazos," N.O. went out for the evening with his old friend, LegalEagle, to watch the Mavs get slaught-- um, I mean, play. So I decided to completely veg out and clean out the TiVo. There were several movies in there I had recorded ages ago that I had not gotten around to watching. I haven't been able to work up the courage to view The Killing Fields quite yet, so I landed on one that didn't sound like it would demand much of me or my slightly fragile nerves--Spellbound. Not the Hitchcock/Ingrid Bergman/Gregory Peck Spellbound-- which I would not recommend to anyone with slightly fragile nerves--but the 2002 documentary about the Scripps National Spelling Bee. I had been hearing for some time about how fantastic this documentary was, and it has been sitting in the TiVo for months, so I was happy to finally get the chance to see it.
It was phenomenal. There is nothing fancy about the film. The filmmakers just follow eight youngsters (all between the ages of 12 and 14, I think) as they prepare for and compete in the 1999 national bee. These kids are impressive, funny, relatable, and interesting. They come from extremely diverse circumstances (Angela is the daughter of Mexican immigrants in the Texas panhandle, while Emily is a New Haven, Connecticut equestrian with an au pair) but the film doesn't ever take sides. Nor do the filmmakers judge the parents of these kids for allowing them to take part in a competition that is surprisingly brutal. They do a good job of coaxing great moments from the competitors and their families. Some are touching, as when one parent talks about how her child has a hard time fitting in at school, yet has made lasting friendships with other kids just like her through the spelling bee. Some are funny--particularly my favorite speller, April, a dry, introverted kid who says things like (paraphrase), "Sometimes my parents remind me of the Bunkers from All in the Family, like how Archie always yelled at Edith for being so dumb." This is followed by a poignantly funny scene in which April's mom, who bears a resemblance to Edith Bunker and thinks her "B-E-E Happy" magnet is really witty, sits on the couch discussing her immense pride in April, completely oblivious to the fact that her small terrier is licking her leg with joyous abandon. In other hands, a character like April's mom could become a joke. In this film, she is a completely sympathetic character whose life is driven by love for her daughter. She genuinely doesn't care if April wins, she just wants her to develop some self-confidence and have a good time.
I guess a small part of why I enjoyed this movie so much was that it took me back to my own spelling days. I barely participated in the Scripps bee--I easily won my tiny school's hastily-thrown-together competition and went to regionals at my mother's insistence, but got out pretty quickly. I considered myself too cool for geeky academic pursuits like that at the time, so I didn't study at all and was just really happy when I got cut. But later, in high school, I was wangled into joining my school's UIL spelling/vocabulary team. I still really hesitated, as I considered it boring and nerdy, and much preferred working on my other event, Prose Interpretation. But the team was really good, and one of my predecessors had won state the previous year, so I let them talk me into it. I'm not going to say it was the most fun experience I ever had in my life, but it did become pretty enjoyable, and my vocabulary grew exponentially. (Unlike the Scripps bee, the UIL competition does require one to know the definitions of words as well, for the vocabulary section of the test.) We did go to state that year (1998), and my team took first. Individually, I placed second behind my teammate and close friend, Stephen. (I would have tied with Stephen for first, but for a stupid mistake--I carelessly misspelled an easy word--tyranny. I've hated that word ever since.) In the grand scheme of things, this competition wasn't remotely important. I have NOT been dwelling on my victory ever since. But, it was a really positive experience for me, academically and personally, so when I see those kids up there spelling their hearts out, I want to shout, "Go, kids, go! Spell! Spell!"
Oh, and the coincidence I mentioned? After watching the film, I googled the event to find out when this year's national competition would take place. It was starting the very next night (which was last night). The final rounds will be aired tonight on ABC.
It was phenomenal. There is nothing fancy about the film. The filmmakers just follow eight youngsters (all between the ages of 12 and 14, I think) as they prepare for and compete in the 1999 national bee. These kids are impressive, funny, relatable, and interesting. They come from extremely diverse circumstances (Angela is the daughter of Mexican immigrants in the Texas panhandle, while Emily is a New Haven, Connecticut equestrian with an au pair) but the film doesn't ever take sides. Nor do the filmmakers judge the parents of these kids for allowing them to take part in a competition that is surprisingly brutal. They do a good job of coaxing great moments from the competitors and their families. Some are touching, as when one parent talks about how her child has a hard time fitting in at school, yet has made lasting friendships with other kids just like her through the spelling bee. Some are funny--particularly my favorite speller, April, a dry, introverted kid who says things like (paraphrase), "Sometimes my parents remind me of the Bunkers from All in the Family, like how Archie always yelled at Edith for being so dumb." This is followed by a poignantly funny scene in which April's mom, who bears a resemblance to Edith Bunker and thinks her "B-E-E Happy" magnet is really witty, sits on the couch discussing her immense pride in April, completely oblivious to the fact that her small terrier is licking her leg with joyous abandon. In other hands, a character like April's mom could become a joke. In this film, she is a completely sympathetic character whose life is driven by love for her daughter. She genuinely doesn't care if April wins, she just wants her to develop some self-confidence and have a good time.
I guess a small part of why I enjoyed this movie so much was that it took me back to my own spelling days. I barely participated in the Scripps bee--I easily won my tiny school's hastily-thrown-together competition and went to regionals at my mother's insistence, but got out pretty quickly. I considered myself too cool for geeky academic pursuits like that at the time, so I didn't study at all and was just really happy when I got cut. But later, in high school, I was wangled into joining my school's UIL spelling/vocabulary team. I still really hesitated, as I considered it boring and nerdy, and much preferred working on my other event, Prose Interpretation. But the team was really good, and one of my predecessors had won state the previous year, so I let them talk me into it. I'm not going to say it was the most fun experience I ever had in my life, but it did become pretty enjoyable, and my vocabulary grew exponentially. (Unlike the Scripps bee, the UIL competition does require one to know the definitions of words as well, for the vocabulary section of the test.) We did go to state that year (1998), and my team took first. Individually, I placed second behind my teammate and close friend, Stephen. (I would have tied with Stephen for first, but for a stupid mistake--I carelessly misspelled an easy word--tyranny. I've hated that word ever since.) In the grand scheme of things, this competition wasn't remotely important. I have NOT been dwelling on my victory ever since. But, it was a really positive experience for me, academically and personally, so when I see those kids up there spelling their hearts out, I want to shout, "Go, kids, go! Spell! Spell!"
Oh, and the coincidence I mentioned? After watching the film, I googled the event to find out when this year's national competition would take place. It was starting the very next night (which was last night). The final rounds will be aired tonight on ABC.
posted by AmberO at Sleeping is for Sissies at 11:29 AM
3 comment(s)
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2 Dollar Productions,
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Queen, III,
3 Comments:
Spelling contests can be riveting as I remember some competition in the last few years where a kid's eyes rolled back and he fainted onstage.
I can't remember what word triggered this reaction.
I know you can't do this, but I'm going to say it anyway.
A-DUB! You simply MUST see "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" when you're in New York! It's fantastic!!! No! Seriously! They even bring up five audience members who "accidentally forgot to register for the bee" to be in the show! It's GREAT!
Spelling bees always make me cry! It warms my heart to see children trying so hard - especially when they're kind of nerdy and you can tell maybe they have a hard time fitting in. For whatever reason - this makes me cry like a baby!
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