Last night we watched Akeelah and the Bee. It’s a great little movie, and Keke Palmer, who plays Akeelah, turns in an excellent (and adorable) performance alongside Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett.
This may seem random, but – hey – it’s Friday: I really liked the soundtrack to this movie. And mainly for one reason: it includes Rubberband Man by the Spinners. I think sometimes it’s easy to forget how groundbreaking that Motown sound was.
Hand me down my walkin’ cane
Hand me down my hat
Hurry now and don’t be late
‘Cause we ain’t got time to chat
You and me were goin’ out
To catch the latest sound
Guaranteed to blow your mind
so high you won’t come down
Hey y’all prepare yourself for the rubberband man
You’ve never heard a sound
Like the rubberband man
You’re bound to lose control
When the rubberband starts to jam
Excellent.
Also, the movie contains this quote (which is attributed to Marianne Williamson):
“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.”
Thoughts?
i loved the movie. a great film. i can’t say i was too fond with the cheezy ending. but all movies are like that.
thats a really good picture. keke palmer was really good as Akeelah. <3
hmmm . . . They mention giving God glory???
forreal?
Interesting . . .
I liked the movie very much. The quote, I’m not sure I totally agree with it. I don’t agree that our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. I know too many people, myself included, who have to struggle to understand who they are in Christ, to understand their own worth to God. Somewhere along the road in life we learn from other broken people that we’re not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, holy enough to be worth anything, and we believe it. Abuse of all kinds is so rampant in our society, and victims of abuse rarely know their own value. For most of us, our deepest fear is that the lies other people tell us about ourselves are true.
I do agree however that we SHOULD let our own light shine, because God DID create us to reflect His Glory.
I had wanted to comment on this but I wasn’t sure where to start. Connie made some very good comments that I couldn’t have said better. And she gave form to what I thought.
Thank you, Connie.
I’ve not seen the movie and I probably won’t. It isn’t that I have anything against anything or anyone in the movie. I just don’t go to that many movies for a number of reasons.
On the surface the quote sounds very good but I see huge problems with it. I think that at some root level it isn’t so much that inadequacy is our fear as it is our reality. I think that there is something in us, quite possibly a quickening of the Holy Spirit, perhaps original sin, that tells us we are inadequate. Because of this we go the other way to prideful humanism, which I believe is both a lie and sin. Now with the educational system we have the self esteem mantra that has been going on for about 10-15 years now.
On the other hand, there is a great truth in this quote but it ends in misunderstanding. “Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.” If only she had stopped before she said, “that is within us”. The glory of God is not in us until we have repented of our sin and the promised Holy Spirit fills us upon the repentance and belief.
Excellent commens, Brian and Connie. Thanks