Nothing beats a bunch of nerdy kids in a spelling bee

"Spellbound" is a uniquely boring and uncritical look at the National Spelling Bee. Focusing on eight children and their quest for the championship, the movie pries ever so gently into the lives of these kids, barely unearthing their possibilities and disturbing elements. As one mother says, "someone told me this was another form of child abuse."\nThe National Spelling Bee has become an annual favorite on ESPN, whose viewers usually tune in to see the weirdo kids and their reactions as opposed to witnessing their superhuman spelling abilities. There's really no way around the fact that the competitors are dorks, outcasts and malcontents as a general rule of thumb. Director Jeffrey Blitz shies away from focusing on the more voyeuristic side of the tale and insists that this thing is really all about the spelling.\nBlitz introduces kids from a variety of backgrounds as they prepare and then compete in the nationals in Washington D.C. Harry Altman has "Rain Man"-like ticks, a mouth that won't quit and seems to pull his aptitude out of a world most are unfamiliar with. Angela Arenivar comes from a fascinating background. A child of Mexican immigrants who can't speak English, she is a self-taught speller whose cow-herding father cries because he sees his daughter's success as the fulfillment of his hard work. Ted Brigham is the dark and sullen son of Missouri isolationists whose interests include guns and explosives. April DeGideo often studies eight hours a day on her own and worries her parents because she doesn't want to go to the mall. Neil Kadakia looks perpetually sad as he goes over thousands of words with his parents before he practices five times a week with his spelling coach. Nupur Lala comes from Tampa where her teacher says she never met an Indian who wasn't really smart. Emily Stagg is a privileged New Havener who is surprised that her parents aren't going to bring her aupair to the contest. And Ashley White is an African-American from a D.C. housing project.\nBlitz remains bighearted about his subject; any jokes come from the kids themselves. He tries to portray the National Spelling Bee as a way for kids of superior intellect to be normal for a while. This is obviously wrong though, the kids are driven to hysterical extents, and their parents are more often than not pushy. After witnessing many a kid cry at little league games for fear of their parent's wrath, I know the power that a warped perspective can have. I'm scared for these kids and wish that everyone would just calm down.