The Secret Life of Bees (2008)

Director:

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Writers (WGA):

Gina Prince-Bythewood (screenplay)
Sue Monk Kidd (novel)

Release Date:

17 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

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...

Plot Keywords:

South | South Carolina | Sister | Racial Issues | Suicide

Awards:

10 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Dakota Fanning	...	Lily Owens
Queen Latifah	...	August Boatwright
Jennifer Hudson	...	Rosaleen Daise
Alicia Keys	...	June Boatwright
Sophie Okonedo	...	May Boatwright
Paul Bettany	...	T. Ray Owens
Hilarie Burton	...	Deborah Owens
Tristan Wilds	...	Zach Taylor
Nate Parker	...	Neil
Shondrella Avery	...	Greta
Renée Clark	...	Doll
Sharon Morris	...	Violet
Nicky Buggs	...	Cressie
Jasmine Burke	...	Sugar Girl
Emma Sage Bowman	...	Young Lily #1

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]

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:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44411) | Ireland:15A | UK:12A | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Australia:M | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Argentina:13 | Mexico:B | Finland:K-11 | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

North Carolina, USA

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

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.

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]

Movie Connections:

References Surf Party (1964)

Soundtrack:

Prelude (From The Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 In G Major)

Solid film...

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.