The Secret Life of Bees

Bring Your Girlfriends, Sisters, Mothers and Daughters


The Secret Life of Bees
The second movie this week set in 1964 in the USA, this chick-flick takes a look at racial tension in the South. We follow events through the eyes of a 14-year-old white girl, who accidentally killed her mother 10 years ago. After her beloved nanny is arrested and put in hospital, she secretes her out and they go on the run. They end up in a small town where the honey her mother used to love, is made. They are taken in by the honey makers: three very different black sisters, and this is where the story proper starts, as the gals try to sort out their lives while trying not to attract attention which would lead to her father finding where she is. Take tissues.

110 minutes.
Mature Accompaniment under 13 (Language, Violence).
Adventure, Drama, Female interest.

Not currently showing on the local cinema circuit.

We should start an all-girl band!
We should start an all-girl band!

Credits

Cast
Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, Paul Bettany, Hilarie Burton
Director
Gina Prince-Bythewood
ScreenplayGina Prince-Bythewood, from the novel by Sue Monk Kidd
MusicMark Isham
CinematographyRogier Stoffers
EditingTerilyn A. Shropshire
Sound formatsDolby Digital, Sony Dynamic Digital Sound, DTS
Made in2008
Produced byFox Searchlight Pictures, Overbrook Entertainment, Donners' Company

Official Site | IMDB page | ScreenIt Report
Trailer: Small | Medium | Large | Scroll down for embedded trailer

Film and Publications Board (FPB) Report (SA)

GenreDrama
LanguageSome
NudityNone
SexNone
ViolenceSome
PrejudicePart of plot
BlasphemyMild
Drug abuseNone
CommentsA strong drama set against racial tensions in South Carolina in 1964.
These details are supplied by the FPB. If you have a problem with any of the above, please take it up directly with the FPB. Read the Classification Guidelines.



Ratings

Scale (Max)20

What the Critics say

Cape Argus / The Star
Lara de Matos
10
Die Burger
Jeanne Calitz
10
Cape Times
Carina Chocano
5
The Citizen
Natalie Bosman quote iconSkilfully avoiding the trap of being drippy and sentimental, The Secret Life Of Bees dabbles in as many angles as there are honeycombs, each hexagon a hurdle to overcome, no matter how difficult or painful that path may be.
14
24.com
Ivan Sadler quote iconIf you like sweet or moving films, Bees is certainly for you, as it delivers on those fronts without ever being depressing. Like the name suggests, there is a level of twee that may irritate people looking for serious drama or a focused character study, but it remains an enjoyable and enchanting little story.
10
Chicago Sunday Times
Roger Ebert quote iconI have great affection for this film because it honors a novel that many people loved for good reasons. It isn't superior, nor does it dumb it down. It sees what is good and honors it.
18
eye Weekly
Jason Anderson quote iconA thoroughly well-intentioned adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd’s novel about a troubled white girl’s experiences in a black household in the American South in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees is another example of why stories that might be perfect for Oprah’s Book Club end up less satisfying as movies.
5
ReelViews
James Berardinelli quote iconWhen it comes to movies that touch the heart, few have a more delicate yet undeniable impact than Gina Prince-Bythewood's The Secret Life of Bees.
18
ScreenIt
C. Fuchs quote iconLike the bees, the pic goes about its business without a lot of fanfare, but the results go down easily and are fairly satisfying.
12
Metacritic.com
32 critics
11
Rottentomatoes critics
124 critics
12
Rottentomatoes tomatometer
Tomatometer quote iconThe Secret Life of Bees has moments of charm, but is largely too maudlin and sticky-sweet.
11

What the People say

Internet
1963 Netizens quote iconRecommended viewing with galpals when PMSing
14

Average .. 58%

12

Trailer






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