The Secret Life of Bees (2008) Reviews

• Welcome to the family!

  reelinspiration2008-10-18

  Writer/Director Gina Prince-Bythewood, winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Sundance hit, "Love & Basketball," has now brought the beloved, acclaimed best-seller, "The Secret Life of Bees" to the screen. 1964, South Carolina. Lily Owens (played with open-eyed honestly by Dakota Fanning) is raised in a loveless home by her cruel, distant father. Fourteen year old Lily longs for a mother she never knew. When her only friend, their black maid Rosaleen, is assaulted in a racist incident, the girls are forced to go on the run. Lily and Rosaleen end up on the doorstep of the Boatwrights, the black sisters who own a successful honey farm. Lily concocts an elaborate lie to persuade the maternal August Boatwright (played with warm dignity by Queen Latifah) to temporarily take them in. They are met with some resistance from the guarded June (Alicia Keys), a classical cellist and civil rights activist. But they are welcomed enthusiastically by the open-hearted May (played with touching vulnerability by Sophie Okonedo). They soon find that hyper-sensitive May is moved to tears by the mention of anything sad. August teaches Lily how to tend the bees, and May whole heartedly embraces both girls. They are soon accepted as part of the family. But Lily still needs to find the truth of why her mother left her. This is a coming of age story and parable about how to cope with the painful truth and find forgiveness. As Lily's young love interest puts it, "It's not just about the truth. It's about what you do with it." The two sisters illustrate different ways to deal with the hard truths of life. June has closed her heart and built a protective wall to keep out hurtful emotions. While May has completely opened her heart and feels everyone's pain. Her heart is open to joy but it is also an open wound. I loved being in this world and a part of this loving family - so much that I stayed for a second screening. This is due in part to Gina Prince-Bythewood's excellent adaptation and the wonderful acting of Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, and especially Sophie Okonedo - who is literally the heart of the film. If you're looking for a sweet way to spend the afternoon, "The Secret Life of Bees" will supply the honey. Movie blessings! Jana Segal reel inspiration dot blogspot dot com

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• Sorry Seinfeld ... the Real Bee Movie

  ferguson-62008-10-27

  Greetings again from the darkness. Having not read Sue Monk Kidd's novel, I was expecting a sappy, soulless, chick flick that would have me rolling my eyes for a couple of hours. Instead, director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) delivers a very engaging film with a message and some very strong performances. Dakota Fanning plays Lily, who accidentally killed her mother at four, and has since lived with her white trash, redneck despicable father (Paul Bettany). Lily and her nanny Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) runoff to some small town dot on a map thanks to a clue Lily's mom left on one of her few remaining personal items. They arrive at the home/business of August, June and May Boatright (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Sopie Okonedo) who harvest and bottle the best honey in town. What follows is a smörgåsbord of odd family life that slowly gives hope to young Lily. Based in 1964, the film dips its toe into the Civil Rights Act and the ongoing racism of the south, but focuses more on the strength of love and family ... even in a Pepto Bismol home! The performances are all very strong but three standouts are Dakota Fanning, Paul Bettany and Sophie Okonedo. Ms. Fanning is now 14 years old and she delivers a remarkable performance ... and what feels like the first where her screaming skills aren't overused (War of the Worlds, Man on Fire). She strikes me as a young Jodie Foster ... one who has just transitioned from child actor to real actress. I can't wait to see where her career takes her. Mr. Bettany is such a shock here as he typically plays a well dressed, under-spoken Brit (which is what he is in real life!). As a southern redneck whose bitterness rages against the world, he not only pulls it off, but manages to make grits seem even worse than I previously thought. Ms. Okonedo (so amazing in Hotel Rwanda) pulls off the always difficult task of making a "special" adult seem very real and vital. A most touching performance from a top notch talent. This is a good story with strong performances, though to take the next step as a film, it needed to dig a little deeper into its wide range of characters and settings. Still, definitely worth seeing.

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• wonderful movie

  kirkfam-12008-10-18

  I'm not sure why this film got such a bad rating....it's truly one of the nicest films I've seen in a long time! I brought my daughter to see the movie today -- we both had tears in our eyes throughout the movie. The acting was superb, as was the casting. Normally I like to read the book before seeing a movie, as usually the book is so much better. I am glad that my daughter talked me into going to this movie. I think cinematically, it was one of the prettiest movies I've seen in awhile. You are taken from laughing one moment to feeling as though your heart is being tugged out of your body in the next moment. I will definitely be recommending this film to my friends!

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• Open your heart and the Bees will fill it with honey

  nottoman2008-10-31

  I don't go around throwing 10's around for movie ratings, but I extremely impressed by this movie. The emotional and visual scope offered by the story, the cinematography, and the acting, gave all viewers with eyes to see and ears to hear, a wonderful treat. I'm sure not everyone loves this particular type of movie, but if you haven't been desensitized by the CGI and special effects of many of today's movies, you'll appreciate the very core of this movie, which is the human struggle - especially the depiction of the search for identity, and the need to give and received compassion from those living on this big blue marble together with us. A reminder of the racism of a not too far distant time, and the timeless theme of love, death, friendship, and compassion, add the effective seasoning that helps us all relate in some very tangible way to this movie. Enjoy it with someone you care about, and taste the honey.

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• A Nutshell Review: The Secret Life of Bees

  DICK STEEL2008-11-30

  It's been two years since we last saw Dakota Fanning on the big screen here, in a film which was a adaptation of the literary classic Charlotte's Web. And what a career it had been for this child actress, now an adolescent, to have grown from scream queen (no thanks to her stint under Spielberg's War of the Worlds) to one controversial role in Hounddogs, which I doubt would make it to our shores here. Based on a novel by Sue Monk Kidd and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Secret Life of Bees is one powerful drama above love and the looking for love, as well as running along the theme of forgiveness and reconciliation. It's easy to dismiss this as a chick flick because of its predominantly female cast, but that would be a mistake to make in making it an excuse to miss this film altogether. For all its worth, it's chock full of extremely well delivered performances from veterans such as Fanning herself, together with Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson (proving that she's no flash in the pan), Sophie Okonedo, Paul Bettany and even Alicia Keys! Set in the time of Summer in 1964 Southern USA where the Civil Rights Act was just signed and in effect, the sentiments amongst the racist bigots still run high in a charged environment still hanging onto their old segregated ways. Fanning's Lily Owens carries the weight of her guilt buried deep in her subconscious from a tragic event that happened when she was four, and ten years later, after receiving the last straw of punishment from her abusive dad (Bettany), runs away with her caretaker Rosaleen (Hudson). As if led by an invisible hand, they soon find themselves under the extreme goodwill of the Boatwright sisters, who earn a living through the cultivation of bees for honey, and a series of incidents that bring about some tying of loose ends, and the discovery that these strangers do tie back to Lily's own quest to finding out the truth about her mom, to debunk the lies as told by her father. And of course this allows opportunity for some serious girl power bonding between the characters as they find that they have a lot more in common, as well as the sharing and spreading of love through their ranks. The trump card that this movie has, is the excellent performances by the ensemble cast. Fanning leads the pack and gives a wonderful moving performance as the gangling Lily, who thinks that she's quite a jinx with plenty of bad karma to go around, bringing about unfortunate happenings to her hosts which provide the dramatic twists and turns to what would otherwise be a flat movie. Jennifer Hudson had much to do in the first act, though her character got quite muted by the time the trio of the Boatwright sisters August (Latifah), June (Keys) and Okonedo (May) come along. Queen Latifah brings about some serious gravitas in her role as the eldest with the largest heart, and you cannot deny her chemistry with Fanning. Keys on the other hand plays the sister the exact opposite of August, being aloof and starting off with intense suspicion as to the intent of their guests. And Okonedo's role could probably be the most unorthodox of the lot, a fragile soul who has her own wailing wall to deal with the harsh realities of life. The Secret Life of Bees is well worth the admission ticket, and you'll be hard pressed not to be touched by the film, or moved by the themes it explores, especially when the third act comes by leading to quite a number of powerful revelations and a solid conclusion. Set against its intended backdrop, it's a reminder of tolerance, which the world lacks these days, and of course it's not always hammering in such heavy themes as it has its fair share of romance as well, and for what it's worth, Fanning has her first on-screen romance in this movie, and if I'm right, has her first on-screen kiss as well. You might be surprised when I say this, but this film has won me over enough for it to be considered as a contender when I shortlist my list of ten top films of the year. Definitely recommended!

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