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Spellbound

Play trailer Poster for Spellbound G 2003 1h 37m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 137 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Eight youthful competitors, sponsored by their hometown newspapers, travel with their families to Washington, D.C., to compete in the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Now in the national spotlight and under heavy pressure to perform from parents, teachers and their audience, the children struggle to advance toward the championship -- and its accompanying scholarships and cash prizes -- while approaching competitive spelling with the focus and intensity of Olympic athletes.
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Spellbound

Spellbound

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Critics Consensus

A suspenseful, gripping documentary that features an engaging cross section of American children.

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Critics Reviews

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Neil Norman London Evening Standard 01/11/2018
The result is a powerful, moving and often very funny exploration of what it is to be an American. Go to Full Review Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/28/2010
5/5
Families should see this m-a-r-v-e-l-o-u-s film. Go to Full Review Steven D. Greydanus Decent Films 03/02/2004
A-
A tribute to old-fashioned virtues of hard work, education, competition — and good spelling in a spellchecker age. Go to Full Review Farah Cheded A Good Movie To Watch 09/16/2023
An endearing use of the sports documentary format to celebrate child geniuses [...] An alternately emotional, funny, and always gripping watch. Go to Full Review Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed 03/17/2014
A charming and entertaining view into the world of the National Spelling Bee and a glimpse into the challenges its competitors face... Go to Full Review Film Threat 12/06/2005
4.5/5
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Audience Reviews

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Brian S Sep 27 A spelling bee, an epic quest, where children’s nerves and parents’ ambitions expose the fragile architecture of the American dream. See more Leaburn O 03/15/2024 I recall watching this about twenty years back. Spelling Bees aren't a thing in the UK so I was fascinated by this tasteful documentary. Weirdly American but interesting. See more Evan M 08/13/2021 Watching a documentary about spelling bees is slightly more entertaining than watching paint dry. See more 03/28/2021 The best documentary about the Scripps National Spelling Bee!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more 03/11/2021 Minimal, ineffective attachment defines the sort of engagement this structured home video compilation diving into the meaning and importance of its psychologically gripping subject that inspires in youthfully gifted admirable determination before facing the ultimate test. (B) See more 11/17/2020 My blog with hot videos https://tinyurl.com/sexyvideome See more Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Jeffrey Blitz

Director

Paige Kimble

Self

Jonathan Knisely

Self

Balu Natarajan

Self

Julianne Ruth

Self

Jeffrey Blitz

Writer

Movie Clips

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Spellbound

Spellbound: Movie Clip Spellbound: Movie Clip 1:37 View more videos

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Spellbound

Spellbound (2002) Spellbound (2002) Spellbound (2002) Spellbound (2002) A scene from the documentary SPELLBOUND. A scene from the documentary SPELLBOUND. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Eight youthful competitors, sponsored by their hometown newspapers, travel with their families to Washington, D.C., to compete in the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Now in the national spotlight and under heavy pressure to perform from parents, teachers and their audience, the children struggle to advance toward the championship -- and its accompanying scholarships and cash prizes -- while approaching competitive spelling with the focus and intensity of Olympic athletes.
Director
Jeffrey Blitz
Producer
Jeffrey Blitz, Sean Welch
Screenwriter
Jeffrey Blitz
Distributor
ThinkFilm
Production Co
Blitz/Welch
Rating
G
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 30, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 13, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$5.7M
Runtime
1h 37m
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