Spellbound

Somehow this 90-minute film isn’t just about the National Spelling Bee and eight of its contestants, it also manages to fit in a great deal about what it means to be an American. Being from the Midwest, I identified most with the boy from Missouri and the girl from Texas. They were smart kids and naturally talented spellers but had no chance against big-city kids from the coasts whose parents could afford French tutors, spelling coaches, and computers with spelling software.