SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Nonureva Really Surprised!

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

ops-52535 Well,this was a nice surprise,it has it all except for violence and murder,and that is a relieve .ms fanning does a marvellous job in this film,along the 4 coloured girls of the main cast, there are some magical moments in the movie,that are profounlingly touching the strings of my harp of feelings-. the music are made with a great touch,the use of sound and light are masterworthy,and it has a brilliant ending. its a through hit from the directress.its all about love and feelings....and honey and bees, and thank yu dakota

krocheav I was late finding this movie and it is indeed a 'find'. Part produced by rapper/actor Will Smith (Pursuit of Happiness '06), it tells the story of Lily, a troubled white teenager living with her anger filled father T.Ray - very well played by UK actor Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind '01). After a rather harrowing opening, Lily's reached the stage where she can't take any more emotional torment from her father and runs away with their Negro housekeeper. This leads to several complications. Being set in 1964, a white girl traveling with a black through red-neck South Carolina proves an incendiary combination.A remarkably mature performance by Dakota Fanning brings strong dynamics to her inwards searching character (let's hope Hollywood doesn't throw this fine actress away with mediocre roles). Director and real life adoptee Gina Prince-Bytherwood ('Beyond The Lights' '14) injects elements of personal soul searching into her screenplay adaptation of Sue Monk Kid's 2001 novel. Gina had suffered through a search for her own biological birth mother that ended with a less than satisfactory outcome. She seems the right director for this at-times intense story. For some, there could be the odd situation that may feel a little too set-up - also brief moments where it perhaps strays into coyness but, this could also serve as a welcome break for many viewers. By and large it remains on target as it moves towards its necessary conclusion. The curious cast of assorted American and British female singer/songwriters namely: Queen Latifah ~ Alicia Keys ~ Sophie Okenedo and actress/Spokesperson Jennifer Hudson all work well together. A convincing portrayal is also given by actor/filmmaker Neil Parker (Birth of a Nation '16). Netherlands born director of photography Rogier Stoffers (Disturbia '07) creates a fine sense of personal involvement and treats us to some glowing visuals. Mark Isham keeps the music in check - the sound track also includes several appealing songs that fit very nicely into the story without feeling like they were added for padding. It also features a soul stirring rendition of "Amazing Grace" played on Cello which most unfortunately is not played to its conclusion. Sigh! For those who enjoy a close look into the hearts of others that we share this sometimes sorry world with, then it could be just the right movie for you. A minor draw back at times, could be some of the broad South Carolina accents. This winner of various awards also allows us a welcome look into the world of honey bees. Well worth viewing or buying...

Jackie Scott-Mandeville A delightful film for a Sunday afternoon, The Secret Life of Bees is a softly poignant, but tellingly polemical, story of black and white in South Carolina in the sixties, but with a welcome emphasis on black characters rather than white. With the excellent acting skills of all involved, especially Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, and Sophie Okenedo, the tale of racism, parental abuse and neglect contrasted with kindness and compassion, with a background of beautifully shot landscape and bee-keeping, offers a commendable film of quality, and one which I recommend. A nice change to place compassion instead of violence in the forefront, and for that compassion to be strongly centred in a cultural and educated black family.

sprintz1132 The Secret Life of Bees, based on the novel by Sue Monk Kidd, tells the story of a young Southern girl named Lily (Dakota Fanning) who, when going on the run from her abusive father (Paul Bettany) with her housekeeper Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson), stumbles into the lives of three extraordinary African-American women—August, May, and June Boatwright (Queen Latifah, Sophie Okonedo, and Alicia Keys, respectively) who take her in. Coincidentally, a picture of a black Madonna that Lily finds amongst her late mother's belongings happens to be the same picture that is on a jar of honey that Lily sees in town when she first takes off. The honey jar comes from the Boatwrights who are beekeepers. Lily decides that, in addition to finding a safe place to stay, she may be closer to finding out more about her mother. The Secret Life of Bees has a natural charm to it even when the story gets a bit muddled and drawn out. The actors, even the lesser talented ones, have so much charisma and likability, that they make the movie very undemanding on the viewer. Considering the heavy subject matter addressed (racism, depression, child abuse) the characters have a way of easing the tension and making what could be a very depressing movie light-hearted and sweet. The relationship that develops between Lily and the Boatwrights is genuine and doesn't look at all forced. The Boatwright sisters are at the heart of this movie. Queen Latifah gives such a motherly performance, I felt like I could just curl up and have her read me bedtime stories. The only word I can think of to describe what she brought to the screen is warmth. Alicia Keys, on the other hand, has a more difficult job. As August's sister, June, in first meeting her, she comes across as, well, cold. Her relationship with Lily develops very slowly so her character has to go through a personality change without looking too contrived. Sophie Okonedo gives the best performance, technically, as the overly sentimental and socially inept May; although because of her unique circumstances, she is, ironically, the hardest character to relate to. Dakota Fanning has officially given back her child-actor card in my opinion. It's easy to make fun of her "adult trapped in a kids body" mannerisms (see: Saturday Night Live: "The Dakota Fanning Show") but now that she's gotten older, instead of coming off as trying to grow up too fast, she's moved on to playing "wise beyond her years" characters. As Lily, her character isn't written as anything remarkable, but Fanning is very meticulous in her acting skills. She manages to hold her own even in the most emotionally charged scenes and doesn't make it look like she's trying too hard. It's a perfect choice for making the transition between child star and actor, because it's not a dark role, but it's serious enough to not be dismissed as a syrupy chick-flick. Paul Bettany is award worthy as Lily's violent, misguided father, T-Ray. With the snap of a finger, he can make the change between aggressiveness and sentimentality. Towards the beginning of the film where his words and actions towards his daughter mostly border on sadism, he makes the viewers loathe him deeply. When the audience learns the back-story behind his behavior, though, all of a sudden he's pathetic and everyone pities him. Jennifer Hudson proves that her 2006 Oscar for Dreamgirls was not a fluke. She keeps up with the acting vets quite effortlessly. What I've noticed about Hudson's acting is that every time she plays a character, the audience seems to learn more about her as an actual person rather than a screen actor. In Dreamgirls she's spunky and feisty, and in Bees she's affectionate but strong-willed. The Secret Life of Bees is a truly enjoyable movie. I know it sounds cheesy, but I laughed and I cried. The source material the filmmakers had to work with is great and it makes for a very inspirational film about staying the course, finding love in life, and helping others. It takes the viewer back to another era in our country when repression was common, but so was determination and courage. It reminds us all of the power of films in their ability to look at the past through the eyes of someone who was there and recount both the good and bad times of history. My grade: B+