Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ArtisticLicenseLinguistics: During the local spelling bee at Akeelah's middle school, the first word to spell is "grovel". Chuckie spells it as "gravel", making the teacher correct him it was "g-r-o-v-l". She's missing an 'e' after the 'v'.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 8,9 (click to see context) from:
Akeelah (Keke Palmer) is a young black girl from South Los Angeles, trying to cope with her father's death and her stifling environment. She's quite intelligent, but performs poorly in school due to the work being boring and unchallenging. She's entered into her school spelling bee in order to avoid detention for missing school, and she easily wipes the floor with the competition, almost bored out of her mind by the ease and simplicity of the words. Dr. Larabee (Fishburne), an English professor, sees her potential and begins to coach her for the more advanced Regional Spelling Bee. Hesitant at first, Akeelah shrugs off his help, fearing that performing well will isolate her and label her as a "brainiac", but her love of words can't be denied, and so she agrees to compete. After barely scraping by the district bee (advancing to the next round only because her older sister sees a parent in the audience mouthing the answer to her son), Larabee begins intense practice, having her not only memorize words at a blinding pace, but also having her become familiar with etymology and the ways that words are constructed.
to:
Akeelah (Keke Palmer) is a young black girl from South Los Angeles, trying to cope with her father's death and her stifling environment. She's quite intelligent, but performs poorly in school due to the work being boring and unchallenging. Principal Welch wants her to enter the spelling bee and join the Scripps National Bee because their school's funding was severely cut due to low test scores, leaving the school in squalid conditions. She's entered into her school spelling bee in order to avoid detention for missing school, and she easily wipes the floor with the competition, almost bored out of her mind by the ease and simplicity of the words. Dr. Larabee (Fishburne), an English professor, sees her potential and begins to coach her for the more advanced Regional Spelling Bee. Hesitant at first, Akeelah shrugs off his help, fearing that performing well will isolate her and label her as a "brainiac", but her love of words can't be denied, and so she agrees to compete. After barely scraping by the district bee (advancing to the next round only because her older sister sees a parent in the audience mouthing the answer to her son), Larabee begins intense practice, having her not only memorize words at a blinding pace, but also having her become familiar with etymology and the ways that words are constructed.
Changed line(s) 19 (click to see context) from:
* TheBully: The girls who make fun of Akeelah.
to:
* TheBully: The two girls who make fun of Akeelah.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 6,7 (click to see context) from:
A 2006 film staring Music/KekePalmer, Creator/LaurenceFishburne and Creator/AngelaBassett, and it just might be the only SpellingBee drama out there.
to:
A 2006 [[SportsStories academic drama]] film staring Music/KekePalmer, Creator/LaurenceFishburne and Creator/AngelaBassett, and it just might be the only SpellingBee drama out there.
Added DiffLines:
* {{Hypocrite}}: Dr. Larabee at first forces Akeelah to spell more words after she already won her school's own spelling bee, and then he outright refuses to coach her calling her "insolent". And then when Akeelah's mother chews him out for this, Dr. Larabee tries manipulating her with the words "I beg to differ" in a soft tone.
* {{Jerkass}}: Dr. Larabee. He picks on Akeelah for not knowing as many words as he does, without even taking into account the wide age gap between him and Akeelah, who is young and inexperienced.
* {{Jerkass}}: Dr. Larabee. He picks on Akeelah for not knowing as many words as he does, without even taking into account the wide age gap between him and Akeelah, who is young and inexperienced.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 15 (click to see context) from:
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Dylan’s attitude towards the other students who have participated in the spelling bee comes off as this. He does eventually grow out of it.
to:
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Dylan’s attitude towards the other students who have participated in the spelling bee comes off as this. He does eventually grow out of it.this, but it's not entirely his fault, his father is forcing him to outperform all the other students.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ForbiddenFriendship: Mr. Chu (Dylan's father) restrains Dylan from interacting with Akeelah, who wants to befriend Dylan. He contemptuously sees Akeelah as just "a little black girl" who competes against Dylan in the spelling bee.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 50 (click to see context) from:
* TrainingMontage
to:
* TrainingMontageTrainingMontage: Akeelah has one as Dr. Larabee trains her how to spell big words while making her do jump rope.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
It was revealed that Akeelah's dad was shot & killed.
Deleted line(s) 22 (click to see context) :
* DisappearedDad: Akeelah has one.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* TheBully: The girls who make fun of Akeelah.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
not all Asians are confucian, also the sentence seems redundant and repeating itself.
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* AsianAndNerdy: Dylan's father demonstrates why this trope exists. Dylan himself is also this. TruthInTelevision that Confucian culture places a large emphasis on education and thus some Asian parents can be very, ''very'' obsessed with academic competition.
to:
* AsianAndNerdy: Dylan's father demonstrates why this trope exists. Dylan himself is also this. TruthInTelevision that Confucian culture places a large emphasis on education and thus some that Asian parents can be very, ''very'' obsessed with academic competition.
Changed line(s) 18 (click to see context) from:
* BrilliantButLazy: Akeelah, at first.
to:
* BrilliantButLazy: Akeelah, at first. She routinely skips all her classes, and so she is mandated to attend summer school. When her mother reprimands her for her skipping classes, Akeelah retorts that she despises the deleterious and squalid conditions of the high school (a predominantly black school) she has to attend claiming that it's so underfunded students have to study on the stairways.
Changed line(s) 22 (click to see context) from:
* DisqualificationInducedVictory: Akeelah would have been out in the very early stages of the qualifiers to get to the National Spelling Bee if her competitor's mother had not been caught mouthing him words.
to:
* DisqualificationInducedVictory: Akeelah would have been out in the very early stages of the qualifiers to get to the National Spelling Bee if her competitor's mother had not been caught mouthing him words.there's a "g" in carmagnole, a word of French origin.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Most children in the film are good-hearted, that was only a small minority of the kids
Deleted line(s) 29 (click to see context) :
* KidsAreCruel: The girls and kids who make fun of Akeelah. Averted by Javier, though, who's actually pretty nice to her.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 44 (click to see context) from:
* SpiritualSuccessor: To Film/SearchingForBobbyFischer - in which Laurence Fishburne also plays a Mentor (albeit a much different sort) to the ChildProdigy protagonist.
to:
* SpiritualSuccessor: To Film/SearchingForBobbyFischer ''Film/SearchingForBobbyFischer'' - in which Laurence Fishburne also plays a Mentor (albeit a much different sort) to the ChildProdigy protagonist.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 13,14 (click to see context) from:
!!This film provides examples of:
to:
!!This film provides examples e-x-e-m-p-l-i-f-i-c-a-t-i-o-n-s of:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* MouthyKid: This was Larabee’s first impression of Akeelah. He later does get to know her & realizes she’s not that bad.
Changed line(s) 34 (click to see context) from:
* ReplacementGoldfish: Akeelah for Larabee's daughter. He accidentally calls Akeelah by his daughter's name once.
to:
* ReplacementGoldfish: ReplacementGoldfish:
** Akeelah for Larabee's daughter. He accidentally calls Akeelah by his daughter's name once.
** Akeelah for Larabee's daughter. He accidentally calls Akeelah by his daughter's name once.
Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
* TakeAThirdOption: Akeelah and Dylan are each hesitant to win, as it would mean the other would lose. So instead, [[spoiler: they both win]].
to:
* TakeAThirdOption: TakeAThirdOption:
** Akeelah and Dylan are each hesitant to win, as it would mean the other would lose. So instead, [[spoiler: they both win]].
** Akeelah and Dylan are each hesitant to win, as it would mean the other would lose. So instead, [[spoiler: they both win]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 15 (click to see context) from:
* AsianAndNerdy: Dylan's father demonstrates why this trope exists. TruthInTelevision that Confucian culture places a large emphasis on education and thus some Asian parents can be very, ''very'' obsessed with academic competition.
to:
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Dylan’s attitude towards the other students who have participated in the spelling bee comes off as this. He does eventually grow out of it.
* AsianAndNerdy: Dylan's father demonstrates why this trope exists. Dylan himself is also this. TruthInTelevision that Confucian culture places a large emphasis on education and thus some Asian parents can be very, ''very'' obsessed with academic competition.
* AsianAndNerdy: Dylan's father demonstrates why this trope exists. Dylan himself is also this. TruthInTelevision that Confucian culture places a large emphasis on education and thus some Asian parents can be very, ''very'' obsessed with academic competition.
Changed line(s) 22 (click to see context) from:
* EducationMama: Subverted with Akeelah's mother, to the point that she thinks the spelling bee is completely frivolous in regards to her daughter going to school, not realizing that studying and bees go hand in hand.
to:
* EducationMama: EducationMama:
** Subverted with Akeelah's mother, to the point that she thinks the spelling bee is completely frivolous in regards to her daughter going to school, not realizing that studying and bees go hand in hand.
** Subverted with Akeelah's mother, to the point that she thinks the spelling bee is completely frivolous in regards to her daughter going to school, not realizing that studying and bees go hand in hand.
Added DiffLines:
* FreudianExcuse: The only reason Dylan comes off as arrogant is because his father is [[EducationMama a headass when it comes to academics]]. Dylan’s father wants to live vicariously through his son. Akeelah realizes this and sympathizes with Dylan.
Added DiffLines:
* TeenPregnancy: Implied with Akeelah’s sister, who is constantly carrying her infant around.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 3 (click to see context) from:
->"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
to:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
* KidsAreCruel: The girls and kids who make fun of Akeelah.
to:
* KidsAreCruel: The girls and kids who make fun of Akeelah. Averted by Javier, though, who's actually pretty nice to her.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* NeverTrustATitle: If you heard the name of the film without seeing an associated image, you might well think that it was some kind of children's adventure film about a girl named Akeelah and a talking bee a la ''WesternAnimation/DotAndTheKangaroo'', especially outside the USA where spelling bees are unknown, of minor importance or called something completely different.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 33 (click to see context) from:
* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: Dylan has gotten second place in the nationals twice, but this does not please his father. In his words: "You're second place again, [then] you're second place your whole life!"
to:
* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: Dylan has gotten second place in the nationals twice, but this does not please his father. In his words: "You're second place again, [then] you're second place your whole life!"life!" Because of this, [[spoiler: Akeelah decides to deliberately misspell "xanthosis" because she figures Dylan needs the championship title more than she does and she figures that she still has next year. Dylan immediately realizes what she's trying to do and purposely misspells the word himself, because he wants a fair competition. At that point, they decide to just do their best and hope they both become the champions]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* MisplacedNamesPoster: See the image above.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 3,5 (click to see context) from:
-->"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same"
---->--'''Akeelah''' (quoting Marianne Williamson)
---->--'''Akeelah''' (quoting Marianne Williamson)
to:
---->--'''Akeelah'''
-->--'''Akeelah''' (quoting Marianne Williamson)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 36 (click to see context) from:
* SpellingSong: "Respect" by ArethaFranklin makes an appearance after Akeela wins the Statewide Spelling Bee.
to:
* SpellingSong: "Respect" by ArethaFranklin Music/ArethaFranklin makes an appearance after Akeela wins the Statewide Spelling Bee.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* SpiritualSuccessor: To Film/SearchingForBobbyFischer - in which Laurence Fishburne also plays a Mentor (albeit a much different sort) to the ChildProdigy protagonist.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* DisqualificationInducedVictory: Akeelah would have been out in the very early stages of the qualifiers to get to the National Spelling Bee if her competitor's mother had not been caught mouthing him words.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 6,7 (click to see context) from:
A 2006 film staring Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, and it just might be the only SpellingBee drama out there.
to:
A 2006 film staring Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne Music/KekePalmer, Creator/LaurenceFishburne and Angela Bassett, Creator/AngelaBassett, and it just might be the only SpellingBee drama out there.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Typo correction
Changed line(s) 25 (click to see context) from:
* KidsAreCruel: The girls and kids who make fun of Akeela.
to:
* KidsAreCruel: The girls and kids who make fun of Akeela.Akeelah.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* KidsAreCruel: The girls and kids who make fun of Akeela.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 3 (click to see context) from:
--->"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same"
to:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 23 (click to see context) from:
* GracefulLoser: Javier in spades. When he is eliminated from the competition, he just grins cheekily and begins to theatrically bow to his public in an epic LargeHam fashion, all in good humor
to:
* GracefulLoser: Javier in spades. When he is eliminated from the competition, he just grins cheekily and begins to theatrically bow to his public in an epic LargeHam fashion, all in good humor humor.
Added DiffLines:
* SignificantMonogram: Dr. Larabee gives Akeelah a jump rope that has a capital D on one handle and a capital L on the other. [[spoiler: It belonged to his daughter, Denise.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/akeelah-and-the-bee_1069.jpg]]
--->"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same"
---->--'''Akeelah''' (quoting Marianne Williamson)
A 2006 film staring Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, and it just might be the only SpellingBee drama out there.
Akeelah (Keke Palmer) is a young black girl from South Los Angeles, trying to cope with her father's death and her stifling environment. She's quite intelligent, but performs poorly in school due to the work being boring and unchallenging. She's entered into her school spelling bee in order to avoid detention for missing school, and she easily wipes the floor with the competition, almost bored out of her mind by the ease and simplicity of the words. Dr. Larabee (Fishburne), an English professor, sees her potential and begins to coach her for the more advanced Regional Spelling Bee. Hesitant at first, Akeelah shrugs off his help, fearing that performing well will isolate her and label her as a "brainiac", but her love of words can't be denied, and so she agrees to compete. After barely scraping by the district bee (advancing to the next round only because her older sister sees a parent in the audience mouthing the answer to her son), Larabee begins intense practice, having her not only memorize words at a blinding pace, but also having her become familiar with etymology and the ways that words are constructed.
Akeelah meets Javier Mendez, a competitor at the regional bee, and befriends him. She learns that the Spelling Bee is more than just spelling words; it's competitive parents, cutthroat rivalries, and massive pressure. Akeelah learns about Dylan Chiu, two-time runner up at the National Bee, whose father won't settle for anything less than first. Akeelah's mother Tanya (Bassett) finds out about the bee and forbids her from continuing with it; she doesn't want Akeelah to waste her time with this when she should be completing school work. Her best friend Georgia begins to feel left out as Akeelah spends more of her time studying for the bee and hanging out with Javier than her, and their relationship grows strained.
----
!!This film provides examples of:
* AsianAndNerdy: Dylan's father demonstrates why this trope exists. TruthInTelevision that Confucian culture places a large emphasis on education and thus some Asian parents can be very, ''very'' obsessed with academic competition.
* AlwaysSecondBest: Dylan was said to have been in second place for two years in a row, and he got in second again for the third time later in the film.
* BrilliantButLazy: Akeelah, at first.
* ChekhovsGun: In this case, a Chekhov's Word. Earlier in the movie, Dylan asks Akeelah to spell "Xanthosis" to see how good she is, and she starts it off with a "Z". Dylan mocks her. Later, at the National Bee, [[spoiler:the word that she purposely spells wrong happens to be "xanthosis"; again, she starts it with a "Z". Dylan instantly knew that she spelled it wrong on purpose because he knew for a fact that she wouldn't make that mistake twice.]]
** Also happens with [[spoiler:the word "pulchritude". It's the word Dr. Larabee stumps Akeelah with after her win at the school spelling bee, and it ends up being her winning word at the National Bee.]]
* DisappearedDad: Akeelah has one.
* EducationMama: Subverted with Akeelah's mother, to the point that she thinks the spelling bee is completely frivolous in regards to her daughter going to school, not realizing that studying and bees go hand in hand.
** Dylan's father fits this, though, and it's hinted he's trying to get his son to win in an attempt to live through him, as "he's never won anything in his life."
* GracefulLoser: Javier in spades. When he is eliminated from the competition, he just grins cheekily and begins to theatrically bow to his public in an epic LargeHam fashion, all in good humor
* HoldingTheFloor: When Akeelah leaves the spelling bee temporarily, Javier stalls spelling his word for an absurdly long time to give her time to get back.
* OhCrap: One boy realizes that he misspelled a word before finishing it.
* ParentalSubstitute: Larabee for Akeelah. Although he is tough, he works Akeelah so that she can do her best and genuinely cares about her.
* ReplacementGoldfish: Akeelah for Larabee's daughter. He accidentally calls Akeelah by his daughter's name once.
** Also, as mentioned above, Larabee for Akeelah's father.
* TheRival: Dylan Chiu, a consecutive second place national winner, and ''very'' arrogant. [[spoiler:Until his HeelFaceTurn, that is...]]
* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: Dylan has gotten second place in the nationals twice, but this does not please his father. In his words: "You're second place again, [then] you're second place your whole life!"
* SeriousBusiness: Spelling bees, of course, actually to the point where it's referred to this trope by name. This is further discussed on the page.
* SpellingBee: Naturally.
* SpellingSong: "Respect" by ArethaFranklin makes an appearance after Akeela wins the Statewide Spelling Bee.
* TakeAThirdOption: Akeelah and Dylan are each hesitant to win, as it would mean the other would lose. So instead, [[spoiler: they both win]].
** [[spoiler: ThrowingTheFight]]
* ThinkingTic: When spelling words Akeelah often pats her hand on her leg in a constant beat. Upon spotting this, her teacher recognizes this as a rhythm technique and starts having her learn words according to a rhythm so that she'll remember them better.
* TrainingFromHell
* TrainingMontage
* [[DefeatMeansFriendship Tying Means Friendship]]
* WaxOnWaxOff: Akeelah practices jumping rope to keep time and maintain focus.
----
--->"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same"
---->--'''Akeelah''' (quoting Marianne Williamson)
A 2006 film staring Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, and it just might be the only SpellingBee drama out there.
Akeelah (Keke Palmer) is a young black girl from South Los Angeles, trying to cope with her father's death and her stifling environment. She's quite intelligent, but performs poorly in school due to the work being boring and unchallenging. She's entered into her school spelling bee in order to avoid detention for missing school, and she easily wipes the floor with the competition, almost bored out of her mind by the ease and simplicity of the words. Dr. Larabee (Fishburne), an English professor, sees her potential and begins to coach her for the more advanced Regional Spelling Bee. Hesitant at first, Akeelah shrugs off his help, fearing that performing well will isolate her and label her as a "brainiac", but her love of words can't be denied, and so she agrees to compete. After barely scraping by the district bee (advancing to the next round only because her older sister sees a parent in the audience mouthing the answer to her son), Larabee begins intense practice, having her not only memorize words at a blinding pace, but also having her become familiar with etymology and the ways that words are constructed.
Akeelah meets Javier Mendez, a competitor at the regional bee, and befriends him. She learns that the Spelling Bee is more than just spelling words; it's competitive parents, cutthroat rivalries, and massive pressure. Akeelah learns about Dylan Chiu, two-time runner up at the National Bee, whose father won't settle for anything less than first. Akeelah's mother Tanya (Bassett) finds out about the bee and forbids her from continuing with it; she doesn't want Akeelah to waste her time with this when she should be completing school work. Her best friend Georgia begins to feel left out as Akeelah spends more of her time studying for the bee and hanging out with Javier than her, and their relationship grows strained.
----
!!This film provides examples of:
* AsianAndNerdy: Dylan's father demonstrates why this trope exists. TruthInTelevision that Confucian culture places a large emphasis on education and thus some Asian parents can be very, ''very'' obsessed with academic competition.
* AlwaysSecondBest: Dylan was said to have been in second place for two years in a row, and he got in second again for the third time later in the film.
* BrilliantButLazy: Akeelah, at first.
* ChekhovsGun: In this case, a Chekhov's Word. Earlier in the movie, Dylan asks Akeelah to spell "Xanthosis" to see how good she is, and she starts it off with a "Z". Dylan mocks her. Later, at the National Bee, [[spoiler:the word that she purposely spells wrong happens to be "xanthosis"; again, she starts it with a "Z". Dylan instantly knew that she spelled it wrong on purpose because he knew for a fact that she wouldn't make that mistake twice.]]
** Also happens with [[spoiler:the word "pulchritude". It's the word Dr. Larabee stumps Akeelah with after her win at the school spelling bee, and it ends up being her winning word at the National Bee.]]
* DisappearedDad: Akeelah has one.
* EducationMama: Subverted with Akeelah's mother, to the point that she thinks the spelling bee is completely frivolous in regards to her daughter going to school, not realizing that studying and bees go hand in hand.
** Dylan's father fits this, though, and it's hinted he's trying to get his son to win in an attempt to live through him, as "he's never won anything in his life."
* GracefulLoser: Javier in spades. When he is eliminated from the competition, he just grins cheekily and begins to theatrically bow to his public in an epic LargeHam fashion, all in good humor
* HoldingTheFloor: When Akeelah leaves the spelling bee temporarily, Javier stalls spelling his word for an absurdly long time to give her time to get back.
* OhCrap: One boy realizes that he misspelled a word before finishing it.
* ParentalSubstitute: Larabee for Akeelah. Although he is tough, he works Akeelah so that she can do her best and genuinely cares about her.
* ReplacementGoldfish: Akeelah for Larabee's daughter. He accidentally calls Akeelah by his daughter's name once.
** Also, as mentioned above, Larabee for Akeelah's father.
* TheRival: Dylan Chiu, a consecutive second place national winner, and ''very'' arrogant. [[spoiler:Until his HeelFaceTurn, that is...]]
* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: Dylan has gotten second place in the nationals twice, but this does not please his father. In his words: "You're second place again, [then] you're second place your whole life!"
* SeriousBusiness: Spelling bees, of course, actually to the point where it's referred to this trope by name. This is further discussed on the page.
* SpellingBee: Naturally.
* SpellingSong: "Respect" by ArethaFranklin makes an appearance after Akeela wins the Statewide Spelling Bee.
* TakeAThirdOption: Akeelah and Dylan are each hesitant to win, as it would mean the other would lose. So instead, [[spoiler: they both win]].
** [[spoiler: ThrowingTheFight]]
* ThinkingTic: When spelling words Akeelah often pats her hand on her leg in a constant beat. Upon spotting this, her teacher recognizes this as a rhythm technique and starts having her learn words according to a rhythm so that she'll remember them better.
* TrainingFromHell
* TrainingMontage
* [[DefeatMeansFriendship Tying Means Friendship]]
* WaxOnWaxOff: Akeelah practices jumping rope to keep time and maintain focus.
----
