2005 was all about winning. Cinderella Man, The Greatest Game Ever Played, Dreamer, Glory Road (okay, that was early 2006)—coming out on top was a major part of all these stories. 2006 is shaping up a little differently.

Not because Glory Road taught us that winning doesn’t change quite everything—no, we already knew that. No, this spring’s crop of movies just places more of an emphasis on competing. After I watched Take the Lead, for instance, I walked out of the theatre and asked my wife, “Wait a minute! Who actually won the contest?” Quite frankly, winning just didn’t matter.

This is not to say that Akeelah and the Bee is not about winning. It is. But it is also about competing, competing well, and competing fairly.

Keke Plamer is stunningly captivating as a nearly invisible inner-city middle-schooler named Akeelah. When her principal browbeats her into competing in the school’s first spelling bee—and she wins—she catches the attention of a former spelling-bee whiz who’s looking for a competitor to coach. Mom’s not so thrilled. But the course is set, and it’s no surprise that Akeelah makes it all the way to the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, after a few hiccups along the way and a run-in or two with both Mom and the coach.

And in terms of formula plot, that’s about all you need to know.

But, ah, what a joy it is to see Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne on screen together again as Akeelah’s mother and coach, even in supporting roles. The direction is tight and fine, and the script manages to deliver a number of clever and pleasant surprises on the way to the Finals.