The Secret Life of Bees

2008  PG-13  DRAMA  1h 50min

CAST— Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Paul Bettany, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys

MUSIC— Mark Isham  DIRECTOR— Gina Prince-Bythewood  BASED ON— The Secret Life of Bees (novel), by Sue Monk Kidd

     What at first sounds like a boring semi-documentary about the thrilling world of beekeeping, is actually a warm yet bittersweet coming-of-age-tale told through the eyes of a young girl. Dakota Fanning plays young Lily, whose father is abusive, her mother passed on (let’s just say Fanning has more than a few issues). When things at home take a turn for the worst, she hightails it outta there as fast as you can say “pluck a peach”. She makes her journey with a young black woman who’s had enough of her life as well. They eventually seek solace in the big pink house run by Queen Latifah, beekeeper by trade, gentle hearted caregiver by nature. In the course of the film answers are uncovered, romances are kindled, and honey is produced by the quart. It does feel like a television movie at points, but that’s a minor flaw. To summon up this honey of a movie in one word: sweet.

OUR RATING— ***