The source material remains affecting and the cast work hard to add dimension to a lacklustre screenplay. But sadly, it adds up to less than the sum of its parts.
Comment
12/05/08
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
58
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:134
Fresh:78
Rotten:56
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: The Secret Life of Bees has moments of charm, but is largely too maudlin and sticky-sweet.
Theatrical Release:05-12-2008
Synopsis: 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 (Fanning) a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory... [More]
Starring: Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Reviews for The Secret Life of Bees
Top CriticThere’s a purity, clarity and honesty to this feminist heart-warmer’s melodramatic instincts that make it surprisingly moving and satisfying.
12/05/08
Top CriticFanning and Latifah form the proficient core of this reliable if humdrum American period drama.
12/05/08
Top CriticTragedies strike and life lessons are learnt, homespun wisdom is dispensed. It’s simplistic to the point of total idiocy.
12/05/08
Top CriticThis fairytale of the civil rights era is all honey and no sting.
12/05/08
Top CriticIt's generous-minded, and though it labours awkwardly to move you, that doesn't mean you won't be moved.
12/05/08
Top CriticFrom the producer of X-Men… comes the dullest, gooiest chick-flick of the year.
12/05/08
It’ll be way too cloying for most – but the, ahem, bee’s knees for sugar fiends. Probably best enjoyed with a glass of Chardonnay and your cynicism on hold.
12/05/08
The whole thing is coated in a golden hue, as though the lens has been dunked in syrup. Males - or females with a horror of smug, sugary sentiment - should run a mile.
12/05/08
Idyllic tale despite the back story of racial tension and family abuse. Fanning holds her own in a great cast with Okonedo and Paul Bettany as an unbalanced father in fine form.
12/05/08
The issue of racial integration is ever-present and it certainly serves as a reminder of how far America has come to vote for a black President.
12/05/08
A god-awful chick flick about black women bonding in a sugary, never-never South. It should be renamed How to Make an American Wilt (and any other viewer).
12/05/08
This ghastly ode to female companionship apparently derives from a bestselling novel, but it feels more like something stitched together from other sorority movies.
12/05/08
The casting is fine, but the film’s strange and potentially heartening story desperately needs a bolder touch.
12/05/08
Engaging, well made and impressively acted, this is essentially a coming of age chick flick with a slightly rougher edge than usual.
12/05/08
While this film is every bit as warm and emotional as it looks, ... the cast make sure things don't get too sugary.
12/05/08
Based on the novel by Sue Monk Kidd, the tale will poach your heart this cold winter.
12/04/08
Three actors bring out the script's darkness with remarkable skill. The rest of the cast is good, but they settle for easier performances
11/21/08
Can I tell you a secret? This movie is *really* good. Grab Nana and go see it!
08/03/09
Bees is almost too sweet, but with enduring enough performances to make a solid movie.
07/06/09
Latest News for The Secret Life of Bees
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December 05, 2008:
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