IMDb > The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
The Secret Life of Bees
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The Secret Life of Bees (2008) More at IMDbPro »

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The Secret Life of Bees (2008) -- This is the first theatrical trailer for The Secret Lives of Bees, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
The Secret Life of Bees (2008) -- The moving tale of a 14 year old girl who is haunted by dreams of her mother in 1960s South Carolina.
The Secret Life of Bees (2008) -- Touching story of a young girl who runs away to a small town in search of her mother's past
The Secret Life of Bees (2008) -- Set in South Carolina in 1964, the film is the moving tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother...
The Secret Life of Bees (2008) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   5,544 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers (WGA):
Gina Prince-Bythewood (screenplay)
Sue Monk Kidd (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Secret Life of Bees on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 October 2008 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Bring Your Girlfriends, Sisters, Mothers and Daughters
Plot:
set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother... more | full synopsis
Awards:
10 wins & 14 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(86 articles)
Dakota Gives Bees and Amazing Box Office Success a Chance
 (From Popsugar. 30 November 2009, 7:00 AM, PST)

Alicia Keys Wants to Have Baby
 (From Celebrity Mania. 29 November 2009, 9:11 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Solid film... more (44 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
A Vida Secreta das Abelhas (Brazil) [pt]
Bienes hemmelige liv (Norway) [no]
Biernes hemmelige liv (Denmark) [da]
Die Bienenhüterin (Germany) [de]
La vida secreta de las abejas (Spain) [es]
La vita segreta delle api (Italy) [it]
Le secret de Lily Owens (France) [fr]
Mystiki zoi ton melisson, I (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
Sabor a miel (Argentina) [es]
Sekretne zycie pszczol (Poland) [pl]
more
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for thematic material and some violence.
Runtime:
USA:114 min (director's cut) | Canada:110 min (Toronto International Film Festival)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Anachronisms: The action in the movie took place in July, 1964. When we first meet Zach, he is singing The Four Tops' "Baby, I Need Your Loving," which was not released until August 15, 1964. A few scenes later, the characters are listening to the Supremes' "Come See About Me," which was not released until November, 1964. more
Quotes:
Rosaleen Daise: How come you all got names from a calendar?
May Boatwright: Our mama loved spring and summer. We had an April too, but she... she died when she was little.
[runs out of the room, sobbing and humming]
more
Movie Connections:
References Surf Party (1964) more
Soundtrack:
Prelude (From The Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 In G Major) more

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
Doesn't Lily look different than Fanning?
more
77 out of 100 people found the following comment useful.
Solid film..., 14 September 2008
7/10
Author: TheQuietStorm from Brooklyn

I caught an exclusive screening of this film a week back and I must say, it might be the best film featuring a mostly black cast since "Antwone Fisher." The story centers around Lily (Dakota Fanning), a poor, lonely little girl in the deep south, who deals with a tragic past and a miserable, cruel father (Paul Bettany). Her life revolves around dreams of being every bit like her deceased mother and her relationship with her caregiver Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson).

In the midst of the civil rights movement, Rosaleen finds herself in some trouble with the locals, inspiring Lily to flee with her to a South Carolina town that she believes holds the secret to her mother's past. In this town, they find refuge with the Boatwright sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo), who take them in on the strength of a story concocted by Lily. Through their cultured world, filled with beekeeping, a lucrative honey business, religious beliefs and love, Lily finds the security she has longed for and finds the answers to questions that haunted her for years.

The director (Prince-Brythewood) did a great job at making us care about the characters, even the miserable father played excellently by Paul Bettany. Alicia Keys shows that some R&B singers can actually perform well in a movie, playing the snooty June Boatwright. However, the best performances has to be between Fanning and Okonedo, who played the gentle, simple minded, manic depressive May Boatwright. If Okonedo reminded me less of Thandie Newton's character in "Beloved," I would've predicted an Oscar nomination depending on this year's competition. Maybe there's one in store for Bettany? Its all left to be seen.

The film has its flaws. It dragged for a good portion of the first thirty minutes as we watch Lily and Rosaleen mill about, doing mundane things in their pitiful lives. But then it really picks up when they meet the Boatwright sisters. The characters were balancing on a thin line between empathetic and sympathetic. You never want to be in the latter. And the filmmakers couldn't resist being a bit schmaltzy on occasion, making most of it play like a good after school special with nothing beyond two dimensionality. And my biggest problem with the film... anti-climatic.

Overall, its a solid film and definitely worth the time in seeing.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
cooling the hive? KpuzzlerS
A scene from Dakota that fell flat... rosek102
T-Ray thelordtantalus
Why did May ... (spoiler)? suednim1960
music at the end thetrev
what was the stuff that her father made her kneal on? livielu
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