The Secret Life of Bees (2008)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Writers (WGA):

Gina Prince-Bythewood (screenplay)
Sue Monk Kidd (novel)

Release Date:

17 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Bring Your Girlfriends, Sisters, Mothers and Daughters

Plot:

set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother...

Plot Keywords:

South Carolina | South | Sister | Southern Accent | Statue

Awards:

11 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Dakota Fanning	...	Lily Owens
Queen Latifah	...	August Boatwright
Jennifer Hudson	...	Rosaleen Daise
Alicia Keys	...	June Boatwright
Sophie Okonedo	...	May Boatwright
Paul Bettany	...	T. Ray Owens
Hilarie Burton	...	Deborah Owens
Tristan Wilds	...	Zach Taylor
Nate Parker	...	Neil
Shondrella Avery	...	Greta
Renée Clark	...	Doll
Sharon Morris	...	Violet
Nicky Buggs	...	Cressie
Jasmine Burke	...	Sugar Girl
Emma Sage Bowman	...	Young Lily #1

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material and some violence.

Runtime:

USA:114 min (director's cut) | Canada:110 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44411) | Ireland:15A | UK:12A | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Australia:M | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Argentina:13 | Mexico:B | Finland:K-11

Filming Locations:

North Carolina, USA

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The action in the movie took place in July, 1964. When we first meet Zach, he is singing The Four Tops' "Baby, I Need Your Loving," which was not released until August 15, 1964. A few scenes later, the characters are listening to the Supremes' "Come See About Me," which was not released until November, 1964.

Quotes:

Rosaleen Daise: I feel like I've been beaten with a stick.
Lily Owens: You have been beaten, remember?
Rosaleen Daise: But not with a stick...

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 35th Annual People's Choice Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Doncha Know (Sky Is Blue)

Welcome to the family!

Writer/Director Gina Prince-Bythewood, winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Sundance hit, "Love & Basketball," has now brought the beloved, acclaimed best-seller, "The Secret Life of Bees" to the screen.

1964, South Carolina. Lily Owens (played with open-eyed honestly by Dakota Fanning) is raised in a loveless home by her cruel, distant father. Fourteen year old Lily longs for a mother she never knew. When her only friend, their black maid Rosaleen, is assaulted in a racist incident, the girls are forced to go on the run.

Lily and Rosaleen end up on the doorstep of the Boatwrights, the black sisters who own a successful honey farm. Lily concocts an elaborate lie to persuade the maternal August Boatwright (played with warm dignity by Queen Latifah) to temporarily take them in. They are met with some resistance from the guarded June (Alicia Keys), a classical cellist and civil rights activist. But they are welcomed enthusiastically by the open-hearted May (played with touching vulnerability by Sophie Okonedo). They soon find that hyper-sensitive May is moved to tears by the mention of anything sad.

August teaches Lily how to tend the bees, and May whole heartedly embraces both girls. They are soon accepted as part of the family. But Lily still needs to find the truth of why her mother left her.

This is a coming of age story and parable about how to cope with the painful truth and find forgiveness. As Lily's young love interest puts it, "It's not just about the truth. It's about what you do with it." The two sisters illustrate different ways to deal with the hard truths of life. June has closed her heart and built a protective wall to keep out hurtful emotions. While May has completely opened her heart and feels everyone's pain. Her heart is open to joy but it is also an open wound.

I loved being in this world and a part of this loving family - so much that I stayed for a second screening. This is due in part to Gina Prince-Bythewood's excellent adaptation and the wonderful acting of Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, and especially Sophie Okonedo - who is literally the heart of the film.

If you're looking for a sweet way to spend the afternoon, "The Secret Life of Bees" will supply the honey.

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