Secret Life of Bees

Last night I joined fellow Penguins for an advanced screening of Secret Life of Bees, the movie adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's bestselling novel. You certainly can't beat the ensemble cast of Academy Award winners, musical talent, and er, blonde child actors like Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, Sophie Okenedo (the adorable actress from Hotel Rwanda), Alicia Keys and Dakota Fanning (who, as my colleage quoted a friend, is on her list of people to kill. Disturbing, but I suppose understandable. (Disclaimer: this post is in no way a threat to Ms. Fanning)). The movie was enjoyable, but I felt like something was missing. I can't tell if it was just because perhaps the movie's plot doesn't adapt well to the big screen -- not a whole lot happens, in my mind, to move it along (though it is an enchanting coming of age story) or if it just simply didn't work, despite the enormous talent behind it.

Lily is a 14-year old motherless girl from South Carolina, who has grown up with a terrible knowledge and guilt about her mother's death. Raised by her abusive (but at second look complicated) father, T-Ray (played by Paul Bettany, who found ways to inject a bit of sympathy for the character, who otherwise would have been flat and hateful), life for Lily is spent writing and daydreaming of her mother, who she feels is the only person that ever loved her. When her nanny, Rosaleen (Hudson) is beaten by local racists, and T-Ray tells the young girl that her mother had abandoned her without a second look, Lily decides to flee, taking her nanny with her. Armed with the few belongings she has of her mother, including a mysterious picture of a Black Madonna, their journey leads them to the home of the Boatwright sisters, who make the best honey in South Carolina.

Then the thing that happens in all female bonding movies start to happen. August (Queen Latifah) teaches Lily about the world and about love, through the lens of life in the bee kingdom, set to an out-of-place emo-ish soundtrack (with the occasional Motown thrown in). Hearts break and mend and everyone learns a shiny new lesson about themselves.

The cast is incredible, and some of the actresses seem to be molded perfectly for their roles -- Queen Latifah nestles effortlessly into the motherly character of August, and Okenedo is perfect as the ultra-sensitive May, as is Keys for the volatile June. Dakota Fanning is just what I think most pictured for the part of Lily. Director Gina Blythewood-Price (Love and Basketball) clearly had a vision when making this film, and stuck to it with a professional touch.

Worth seeing, but maybe wait for video?

(Except TOTALLY buy the book, which is charming and lovely and written by the incredibly talented Kidd. In fact buy a few copies. Times are hard and I need to pay my bills!)