Akeelah and the Bee poster

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Akeelah and the Bee

2006 · Movie · 113 min
B

MEANRANK

75/100

Averaged across 9 ratings · 104.5K votes

Every rating

Platform pages last read 30 September 2026. IMDb’s figure comes from IMDb’s own data file, which we re-read about once a month.

68–86 out of 100

Mostly agreed

Lowest is Metacritic users on 68, highest is Rotten Tomatoes critics on 86.

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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.

Details

Director
Doug Atchison
Released
28 April 2006
Country
United States
Language
English
Runtime
113 min
Rated
PG
Budget
$8.0M
Box office
$18.9M
Awards
11 wins, 13 nominations

This title elsewhere

Keke Palmer

Keke Palmer

Akeelah Anderson

Laurence Fishburne

Laurence Fishburne

Dr. Larabee

Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett

Tanya Anderson

Curtis Armstrong

Curtis Armstrong

Mr. Welch

Sean Michael Afable

Sean Michael Afable

Dylan Chiu

Sahara Garey

Sahara Garey

Georgia

Awards & nominations

See all 24 →

11 wins from 24 nominations across 10 ceremonies

BET Awards 2006 Best Actress Angela Bassett Nominee
Black Movie Awards 2006 Outstanding Motion Picture Winner
Black Movie Awards 2006 Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Keke Palmer Winner
Black Movie Awards 2006 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Laurence Fishburne Winner
Black Movie Awards 2006 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Angela Bassett Winner
Black Reel Awards 2006 Best Film Nominee
Black Reel Awards 2006 Best Actress Keke Palmer Winner
Black Reel Awards 2006 Best Supporting Actress Angela Bassett Nominee
Show all 24 awards across 10 ceremonies

Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.