If you are looking for a stark realistic picture of the civil rights struggle in the 60’s, you won’t find it in The Secret Life of Bees. I’m sure that won’t matter to fans of the Oprah’s book club best-seller though. The heart of the story is about the universal life lessons of hope and friendship, and it translates here on screen in all of its artificially sweetened sappiness. The film boasts an impressive ensemble of actors led by Queen Latifah, and the young and budding talent Dakota Fanning. The film’s characters often times float just above the story in a kind of parable-like fashion rather than really asking you to believe them (especially Latifah’s), but fairly strong performances with a clear and emotionally heavy-hitting story-line make this film a powerful lesson for the whole family.
Lily Owens is a young girl tormented by her mother’s accidental death. Life on her abusive father’s peach farm doesn’t lessen the pain either, as Lily searches for the truth regarding her mother’s real character. When Lily skips town with her caregiver Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) she escapes the world of abuse in search of a town that may give her clues to her mother’s true identity. Lily soon finds herself in the company of the wealthy and intelligent Boatwright sisters, whose family owned honey-making business is a gate-way to a new and unexplored world for Lily. When two starkly different lives collide, Lily will learn more than she bargained for about life, love, and bees.
There is nothing truly remarkable going on here, nor even memorable for that matter. For 2 hrs though, some audiences will scoff at the sugar-coated world that the film portrays, while some will sing its praises by letting it do exactly what its intended to do: Allow us to escape with characters that we care about, and principles that we try to stand for.
3/5
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