onlinebirgit I was even more shocked by the enthusiastic comments posted here than by the movie itself. Is THIS America, following a meaningless aversion and letting kids waste their time in a kind of sportive drilling as this spelling contest? If all of them had spent their time in a more intellectual way, they could have reached much more than with spelling like a computer. Especially the Indian father of (was it Neil) with his obsessive preparations seems disgusting to me, like someone who lives the mythes of "the American dream" as a caricature. I miss all along in this movie a critical point of view; it shows us struggle and hopes of all these children, but leaves us with many unanswered questions: what was it all about? Is everyone happy with the procedures of this contest? What about the story of the little ADHD-guy who is really lovable, but must be a nightmare to his mother and teachers? I asked myself all the time where the hard-working Asians where. No single one to spot on the podium. Maybe they understood and did real studies instead? I give three stars because nevertheless, this movie is a quite interesting peer into some parts of the American society. And it's not a boring movie. But it's quite flat and stays on the surface. The stupid repetitive soundtrack that creates (too) much artificial tension makes it worse, not better. Anyway, after seeing this movie, I felt instantly much more comfortable in the relaxed variety of European culture.

James Weinberg (jasarthur) There was nothing spellbinding about this documentary. The obsessive and aggressively fanatical drive of these kids and their stage-parents to win or place made for a tedious yet tense watching experience. The worst aspect of this project--which earns it a negative star--was the monotonous Orff instrument soundtrack. Who wants to hear repetitive patterns of toy xylophones for 90 minutes? Someone was out of his mind when he scored this thing. My wife and I had to mute and fast-forward entire segments just to survive! I'm a professional musician, piano teacher and children's music specialist, so perhaps I was more attuned to the soundtrack than others, but it seems a total lack of creativity to think an entire movie should have Orff with harmonica in the background. It was as painful as Harry's facial contortions. Since when is Asperger's Syndrome comical?

ARossMartin What makes good storytelling, I think, are good characters -- compelling and complex. More and more, documentaries are relying on a good story well told by either the filmmaker (Spellbound) or the subjects (Inlaws and Outlaws). Here, the themes are not terribly complex but they are genuine and heartfelt, owed in the main to the subjects who are all young kids competing for the National Spelling Bee Championship. Following a nicely diverse group of kids through the trials of training for the national bee and going through the various regional steps to get there, there's a compelling view of Americana -- the true Americana where the desire to succeed spans cultural and geographical boundaries I was most moved by the farm girl's family that sacrificed so much to get their daughter to the bee. You could see that fear and pride in the promise that one's children might actually do better than you.The one storyline that seemed uneven was that of the Indian-American family from LA. Perhaps the filmmakers intended our take on the father's obsession with his son's success to be ambivalent but it didn't resonate emotionally. If there was tension there in the father/son relationship, I didn't feel it. In any case, this is highly entertaining and completely absorbing.

Z Train I love this movie. I am actually a teacher, and sometimes I get very teary eyed when I watch the DVD of this movie. We spend a lot of time talking about all of the bad things that kids can do, and we sometimes don't recognize the outstanding achievements that many young people can make. The idea for this movie is amazing. The editing and storytelling is done remarkably. Each child's thought processes, their life in school, and their families are portrayed delicately, and with a healthy dose of humor. My favorite part is when the Indian student's father said that in America, you can lose at something, then still recover and be a success. I feel that this is a part of the American dream that many Americans take for granted. With all of the great aspects of this movie, you also end up learning many things. That being said, I wish that the DVD did a better job with updates of the participants. It would have been nice to see how being in the contest and the film changed these kids' lives.