“The Secret Life of Bees” is a genuine, heartfelt movie about 14-year old Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning), who is burdened with the belief that she is responsible for the tragic death of her mother. Her angry father, T. Ray (Paul Bettany) refuses to tell her anything about her mother and the only mementos she has are a single glove, a picture of a black Madonna and the name Tiberon. When she can no longer take her father’s abuse, Lily runs away with her housekeeper Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson). Once in Tiberon, Lily is taken in by the Boatwright sisters and she begins a quest to learn about herself.
“The Secret Life of Bees” is worth seeing because of the extraordinary chemistry of its ensemble cast. Fanning, so exceptional at 6 in “I Am Sam,” proves that she is equally adept with adolescent roles and is the heart of the movie. She is touching as a young white girl coming of age under the guidance of loving African-American women in the turbulent 1960s. Hudson holds her own as a woman who has suffered under the Jim Crow South and meets each new challenge with a wry sense of humor. Queen Latifah’s August radiates wisdom and confidence and Alicia Keyes proves that she can act. British actress Sophie Okonedo elevates May from simple-minded to a generous soul that feels too much. Of all the strong performances, Okonedo’s will most likely generate Oscar attention. Director Gina Prince-Blythewood, who adapted the Sue Monk Kidd novel, goes for the sentimental aspects of the story, but she doesn’t over do it. And best of all, she nurtures wonderful performances from her cast. “The Secret Life of Bees” elicits tears and laughter and should not be missed. 10/17/08
"The Secret Life Of Bees" is the kind of film that makes a person think about the tumultuous history of our country. The racial overtones of this picture make you wince when seeing how some perfectly innocent, high class individuals were treated for no other reason than their skin was the wrong color. The thing that gets to me is that all of that horrible behavior was legal until 1964 and the people acting this way thought of themselves as perfectly honorable people. Its hard to understand in todays world.
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