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Australia Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Appaloosa Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Secret Life of Bees, The
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MPAA RATING: PG-13 for thematic material and some violence
Starring Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, Nate Parker, Tristan Wilds, and Paul Bettany
The Secret Life of Bees, based on the New York Times best selling novel and set in South Carolina in 1964, is the moving tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by the intelligent and independent Boatwright sisters, Lily finds solace in their mesmerizing world of beekeeping. (Fox Searchlight)
| GENRE(S): | Adventure | Drama |
| WRITTEN BY: |
Sue Monk Kidd (novel)
Gina Prince-Bythewood |
| DIRECTED BY: | Gina Prince-Bythewood |
| RELEASE DATE: | Theatrical: October 17, 2008 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 110 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Shana K. gave it a9:
The story was well written and well acted. A character driven story where the characters have a lot of depth and the story definitely evokes emotion. Bring kleenex if you cry easily in movies as there were lots of sniffles in the theatre.
gladys gave it a9:
Loved it! This is a chic flick to be enjoyed on a girls outting. Strong female characters with a good story line. A definite must see.
Fata M. gave it a9:
Wonderful, moving, and sooo timely ... the juxtaposition of the civil rights movement vis-a-vis Obama (today's "Zach") having a powerful chance at the presidency. Extraordinary acting on Queen Latifa's part; so warm, charismatic, luminous! Faaning did an excellent job as well.
Chad S. gave it a5:
The Boatwright sisters live in a pink house; the "home of the free", according to John Cougar Mellencamp's "Pink Houses", a song that encapsulates the promises made in the bylaws of the Emancipation Proclamation, which suggests that the "little pink houses" are made for "you and me". The Boatwright sisters not only have property, they also own a thriving honey business. But this is 1964, a hundred some-odd years after Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, and still, the little pink houses for black folks were probably few and far between. Lest not we forget, a diner could display Black Madonna Honey in their window display, but serving black madonnas was another story altogether. But unlike the middle-class "Negroes" in John Singleton's "Rosewood", this utopian life the Boatwright women lead, never comes under attack attack by an unruly white mob. Rather, in "The Secret Life of Bees", it's a pre-teen girl, Lily Owens(Dakota Fanning), who brings disquietude to their lives, unwittingly, like a naive colonialist. When Lily roams around the Boatwright property, this precocious child, in a sense, discovers the woods, discovers the stream; she takes off her footwear and places her bare feet in the water. This act, akin to making yourself at home, is also analogous to colonization. Back home, Lily had a map with a thumbtack pinned to this very spot. Joseph Conrad wrote(from the novel "Heart of Darkness"), "Now when I was a little chap I had a passion for maps. I would look for hours...and lose myself in all the glories of exploration." Although the film expunges blame towards Lily from her role in a family tragedy, it's worthy of note that at the funeral, the filmmaker distances the girl from the black-garbed, black-skinned mourners, by dressing her in a white dress. Prior to the gathering, Lily touches the heart of the black madonna, which saves her, but at the expense of her disparate housemate.
Albert C. gave it a10:
Outstanding!
Raprilc gave it a6:
'The Secret Life of Bees' is occasionally heartbreaking, but what sticks out for me is how miscast it was. (Rosaleen was supposed to be much older, for instance.) The actors all gave uneven performances. Dakota Fanning and Queen Latifah have been MUCH better in other films. Jennifer Hudson wasn't great at all, and I'm beginning to wonder if she's really just playing every part the exact same way. Alicia Keys was surprisingly good. And Sophie Okonedo was awesome. When the performances are like this, I blame bad directing. It should be noted that the director also adapted the screenplay from the novel; I think she bit off more than she could chew.
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