MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

The Secret Lives of Bees Rated PG-13

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.  Starring Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning.

Photo © Fox Searchlight
Movie Review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

The Secret Life of Bees” is that rare best-seller that is actually a very good book.  If you haven’t read Sue Monk Kidd’s novel, do yourself a big favor and skip this film.  It was a very popular book – your library has dozens of copies; in fact, stop reading this review and get the book, now.

The Secret Life of Bees takes place in 1964 South Carolina and depicts a journey of discovery taken by 14-year-old Lily Owens (Fanning) and her housekeeper/guardian Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) who leave Lily’s cruel and abusive father (Paul Bettany) to travel to a place of healing and hope that will unite Lily with the memory of her mother, who died tragically when Lily was only 4 years old.  Before publishing her first novel, Monk Kidd was a gifted writer on spiritual formation, and one of the wonders of the book is the spiritual mythology that she creates for the beekeeper Boatwright sisters, who will nurture and care for Lily and Rosaleen. 

The film cannot possibly create the holy space that the printed page accomplishes, but this filmed adaptation fails to capture the joyous mood of the novel.  Lily is a spunky character in the book, but Fanning’s low-key performance turns her into a grief-haunted victim.  Everything in this movie is downbeat, including Paul Bettany’s performance as T Ray, Lily’s abusive father.  Queen Latifah, Sophie Okonedo, and Alicia Keys have the skills to handle depth in their portrayals of the Boatwright sisters, but the simplistic screenplay (by director Prince-Bythewood) uses shorthand to establish the characters early and then simply stays the course for two hours.

The film simply plods along, while the novel sings.  This is a story about forgiveness, mercy, acceptance, and God’s love, reduced to the level of an average Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie.  Don’t let the film ruin the enjoyment of a great book.

Pitchfork Rating: Four halos (Sisterhood is powerful, forgiveness is possible, slumber is induced.)
Two pitchforks. (Mild swearing, mild racial intolerance, occasional violent acts.)

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