Review: Spellbound (2002)
People often say of Spellbound, ‘who would have thought a Spelling Bee competition could be so riveting’?
I wonder what draws those people to documentaries.
For me, the feel good qualities of the film don’t weigh up against more enriching dividends paid by the sort of docos I’m into. You know, ones that smack you around a bit. I get Spellbound, I just don’t think I have to like it, just because it may have been a crossover hit with the family demographic. Sure, there’s some cute moments and even some distant emotional engagement, but I truly didn’t feel enlightened after the viewing experience. Perhaps my expectations were too high. After all, this film appears on many ‘Greatest Documentaries of All Time’ lists, including that of the International Documentary Association. Oh yeah, it was nominated for an Academy too.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s somewhat entertaining and the stronger first half of the film is devoted to the backstories of 8 Spelling Bee participants. There’s definitely some human interest in there, sure, but the remainder of the film hangs itself – in faux-climactic style – around a single national championship competition.
Hardly nail biting stuff… but that’s where editing comes into play.
Deficiencies in filmic suspense are countered by flipping back to expository elements – a technique which fed my sense of distraction rather than building anticipation. So one kid, Harry, is agonising over how to spell ‘banns’ (yeah, whatever that means) and rather then hit us with the correct spelling, we are treated to some more parental chat, or the film meanders to some point of historical interest that might have served the half of the film well. Even his twisted facial contortions (and he is surely a pinup child for A.D.D.) don’t make me care about who the winner may be. If anything, you just want the least annoying kid to pull through at the end.
At best, Spellbound is a statement about America’s obsession with competition, and while it’s not exactly a child beauty pageant, there is a good cross section of parents with contrasting degrees of ambitious intent. Some pressure their kids into success, others liken the competition to child abuse. Granted, all the kids are bright and you do find yourself rooting for the ones with natural talent and motivation (over the learn-by-rote’rs), but in my book, mass/fluff appeal doesn’t necessarily equate to documentary gold.
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