The Bumblebee Flies Anyway (1999)

An amnesiac youth tries to piece together his past, but what he discovers may jeopardize his future.

Director:

Martin Duffy

Writers:

Robert Cormier (novel), Jennifer Sarja (screenplay)

Stars:

Janet Paparazzo, Elijah Wood, Janeane Garofalo

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Janet Paparazzo	...	Eileen Snow
Elijah Wood	...	Barney Snow
Janeane Garofalo	...	Dr. Harriman / Handyman
George Gore II	...	Billy
Joseph Perrino	...	Mazzo (as Joe Perrino)
Roger Rees	...	Dr. Croft
Oni Faida Lampley	...	Nurse Bascam
Jeffrey Force	...	Allie Roon
Christopher Mark Petrizzo	...	Chris Ronson
Rachael Leigh Cook	...	Cassie
Samuel Haft	...	Samuel Ronson
John E. Mack	...	Willy / Orderly
Matthew Cavallary	...	Young Barney Snow
David France	...	Richard Snow
Joan Levy	...	Woman in Suburbs

Storyline

Barney Snow (Wood) wakes up in a hospital with no memories but his name & recurring images of a car crash. With little else to go on, he makes the place his temporary home and soon learns that all of the other residents in this youth clinic are dying from terminal illnesses - except him. When another patient, Mazzo (Perrino), asks Barney to play host for his visiting twin sister Cassie (Cook), the two strike up a fast friendship that blooms into romance and promises a fresh start for Barney. But as he gradually pieces together his fragmented memory, he begins to unravel the puzzle of his strange dreams and remember his old life. How will Barney react once he learns the truth about his own past, and what will he do when Mazzo surprises him with a difficult request for help?

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Plot Keywords:

memory | clinic | twins | patient | hospital | 

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Taglines:

They Took His Past. She Gave Him His Future

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 January 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

El olvidado mundo de Barney

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shooting Gallery

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the novel upon which the movie was based, 'Janeane Garofolo''s character, "The Handyman", is in fact a man.

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Quotes

Barney Snow: Are the others beyond hope?
Dr. Harriman: No. Beyond curing maybe, but never beyond hope.

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Soundtracks

"COMING DOWN"
Performed by Vitro

User Reviews

Come on, now.

I think some replies here were a little bit harsh on the movie. Mind you, this is a movie critic's haven, so I can understand. But let's try to level here.

First of all, I knew when starting this movie that it was going to be an indie, low-budget, sort of film, so I wasn't expecting some kind of Lord of The Rings or COlor Purple. I also knew not to expect anything too complex--in my experience with movies such as these, there is more there than just a simple, plausible plot that appeals to everybody. I knew going into it: Hey this is an Elijah Wood movie. Now everything I have seen him in, with the exception of Flipper, has been in some way great, and always told a great or complex story. Summing up all of those conclusions, I went into the movie knowing I shouldn't try to apply any other movie criticisms to it until I had seen it all the way through twice in order to fully catch the drift of the movie.

That being said, the movie was fair. I don't think it is the greatest thing he has ever done; it in no way compares to the Ice Storm or Lord of The Rings. However, I think the end of the movie sort of pulls everything together and helps me to see why Elijah might've chosen to do this movie.

Here is what I liked: The ending, the one that leaves everyone questioning a few things; the sarcastic kid, Billy, and his acerbic sence of humor; the thought processes of Barney Snow (Elijah Wood seems to have mastered the subtlety that is required for this role; Most people here complained that Barney was too apathetic for someone who knew nothing about his past or future, but I think it reflects some of Elijah's character in there too. At the end you see Elijah's happiness restored, when he is able to let go of everything (the very last scene), but throughout the movie it is quiet, subtle nuances; the introvert in Elijah shines through, and I think it is fantastic, and almsot mysterious.) I also liked Mazzo, I think he was a great actor in this movie, and the role worked well with him.

Here is what I disliked: The romantic scene with Rachel Leigh Cook when he finds out she is leaving for Europe...I think their chemistry is terrible, and I don't think the actors are to blame--I think the casting directors are to blame. EW and RLC can both be great, Elijah much more so than Rachel Leigh Cook, but I don't think they worked well together at all.

Suprisingly, I think he and Jordana Brewster from the Faculty had a better chemistry. Also, I think there was too little effort put into the love story. It was like...out of nowhere...they were in love...which is okay sometimes, as long as the characters' feelings are out in the open, but their feelings weren't out in the open. It made it seem strange that the cover of the video box was Elijah and RLC hugging; to me that wasn't the greater message of the movie. THe cover should have been Elijah as the central figure, and then, perhaps, the supporting characters behind him, sort of blended into the background.

Overall, I rate it an 10 for Elijah, Billy,and Mazzo. I rate it a 7 for Rachel Leigh Cook, and I rate a 5 for that silly romantic scene that just didn't flow well with the movie(though I rewound and rewound a few times there...). I give a 9 to the ending because I like enigmatic things but it didn't flow perfectly either. Overall, that's about an 8.