Plot
11-year-old Akeelah Anderson has a way with words. After winning her schoolwide spelling bee, she decides to enter the competition, despite her classmates' derision and the antipathy of her mother Tanya. Thanks to the efforts of her teacher Dr. Larabee, she reaches the finals. As she gets to know her fellow competitors, Akeelah realizes that coming first isn't everything in life.
Trailer
Cast
Keke Palmer
Akeelah Anderson
Laurence Fishburne
Dr. Larabee
Angela Bassett
Tanya Anderson
Curtis Armstrong
Mr. Welch
J.R. Villarreal
Javier
Sean Michael Afable
Dylan Chiu
Sahara Garey
Georgia
Lee Thompson Young
Devon
Julito McCullum
Terrence
Erica Hubbard
Kiana
Eddie Steeples
Derrick-T
Dalia Phillips
Ms. Cross
Tzi Ma
Mr. Chiu
Jeris Poindexter
Steve
Sara Niemietz
Polly
George Hornedo
Roman
Craig Wasson
Ted Saunders
Jeff Marlow
District Judge
Lee Garlington
Regional Judge
Katie Kerwin McCrimmon
Herself
Sidney Ganis
Regional Pronouncer
Austin Herrera Davis
Cheating Boy
Janet Borrus
Cheating Boy's Mom
Wolfgang Bodison
Akeelah's Father
Bonita Friedericy
Volunteer
Lauren Sánchez Bezos
Reporter
Fay Hauser
Woman on TV
Jack Ong
Korean Grocer
Neil Soni
Rajeev Subramonian
Tinashe
Cissi
