Movie Review: 'The Secret Life of Bees'
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Dakota Fanning, left, and Queen Latifah from "The Secret Life of Bees."
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Sue Monk Kidd gave monthly monikers to the three luminous sisters in "The Secret Life of Bees," a coming-of-age novel that is set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and is now making its lyrical transition to the screen.
It's 1964, and the Boatwright women -- August, June and May -- live in the tiny town of Tiburon, S.C., where two runaways arrive on their doorstep: lonely, "unlovable" Lily (Dakota Fanning), 14, is escaping an abusive father and the haunting memories of her late mother. Her black caregiver-friend Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) is fleeing racist violence that landed her in jail.
They seek refuge with the Boatwrights, who operate a beekeeping business and whose home -- painted Pepto-Bismol pink -- is a hive of activity, indeed. Nurturing matriarch August (Queen Latifah) tends to the bees and the well-being of her younger sisters. June (Alicia Keys), haughty and humorless, is a proto-feminist music teacher, equally comfortable playing Bach or "Amazing Grace" on her cello. The tragic one is May (Sophie Okonedo). Originally, there were four sisters: May has been permanently heartbroken and grief-stricken since the death of April, her twin.
- Starring: Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo.
- Rating: PG-13 for thematic material and some violence.
- Web site: 'The Secret Life of Bees'
Lily and Rosaleen gradually become -- what else? -- integrated into the extended Boatwright family, whose "Black Madonna" honey and "Daughters of Mary" sorority pay tribute to a mystical symbol of empowerment against women's oppression.
In the troubled racist times of 1964, Strom Thurmond was still a Democrat and "To Kill a Mockingbird" had just been filmed two years earlier. In "Bees," August is a kind of female Atticus Finch, similarly idealized.
The Boatwright sisters are 55-60ish, not 25-30ish, in the book. But if you haven't read it (or are mollified by the fact that author Kidd approved the screenwriting), you can get past that -- and the coincidence that unlocks the secret of Lily's mom -- with a little suspension of disbelief.
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood makes us care about these characters, with the help of a uniformly fine cast. Dakota holds her own, acting primarily with her sorrowful eyes, which look much older than her years.
Queen Bee Latifah is soulful perfection, and recording-star Keys elegantly displays acting abilities to match her vocal skills. But Okonedo (Oscar-nominated for "Hotel Rwanda") steals the show as wounded, simple-minded May, with her incredibly expressive face.
Did you know that bees are the only insect that makes food eaten (and dearly loved) by humans? That they communicate and tell each other where the best flowers are by means of aerial dances? That they travel some 50,000 miles to gather enough pollen for a single pound of honey?
This gratuitous info comes to you by way of complaint that there's not nearly enough actual beekeeping shown in the film, which can also be criticized for being simplistic and overly sentimental. But there's a sweet nectar of love, sisterhood and redemption in store for its viewers.
First Published October 17, 2008 12:00 am
