Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

GazerRise Fantastic!

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

ops-52535 Well,this was a nice surprise,it has it all except for violence and murder,and that is a relieve .ms fanning does a marvellous job in this film,along the 4 coloured girls of the main cast, there are some magical moments in the movie,that are profounlingly touching the strings of my harp of feelings-. the music are made with a great touch,the use of sound and light are masterworthy,and it has a brilliant ending. its a through hit from the directress.its all about love and feelings....and honey and bees, and thank yu dakota

krocheav I was late finding this movie and it is indeed a 'find'. Part produced by rapper/actor Will Smith (Pursuit of Happiness '06), it tells the story of Lily, a troubled white teenager living with her anger filled father T.Ray - very well played by UK actor Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind '01). After a rather harrowing opening, Lily's reached the stage where she can't take any more emotional torment from her father and runs away with their Negro housekeeper. This leads to several complications. Being set in 1964, a white girl traveling with a black through red-neck South Carolina proves an incendiary combination.A remarkably mature performance by Dakota Fanning brings strong dynamics to her inwards searching character (let's hope Hollywood doesn't throw this fine actress away with mediocre roles). Director and real life adoptee Gina Prince-Bytherwood ('Beyond The Lights' '14) injects elements of personal soul searching into her screenplay adaptation of Sue Monk Kid's 2001 novel. Gina had suffered through a search for her own biological birth mother that ended with a less than satisfactory outcome. She seems the right director for this at-times intense story. For some, there could be the odd situation that may feel a little too set-up - also brief moments where it perhaps strays into coyness but, this could also serve as a welcome break for many viewers. By and large it remains on target as it moves towards its necessary conclusion. The curious cast of assorted American and British female singer/songwriters namely: Queen Latifah ~ Alicia Keys ~ Sophie Okenedo and actress/Spokesperson Jennifer Hudson all work well together. A convincing portrayal is also given by actor/filmmaker Neil Parker (Birth of a Nation '16). Netherlands born director of photography Rogier Stoffers (Disturbia '07) creates a fine sense of personal involvement and treats us to some glowing visuals. Mark Isham keeps the music in check - the sound track also includes several appealing songs that fit very nicely into the story without feeling like they were added for padding. It also features a soul stirring rendition of "Amazing Grace" played on Cello which most unfortunately is not played to its conclusion. Sigh! For those who enjoy a close look into the hearts of others that we share this sometimes sorry world with, then it could be just the right movie for you. A minor draw back at times, could be some of the broad South Carolina accents. This winner of various awards also allows us a welcome look into the world of honey bees. Well worth viewing or buying...

tubby1 The Secret Life of Bees unlike the meticulous insect this film is named after is void of coherency and organisation. The book is thoughtful but the film just seems to block-out this need and produce a turgid, slow and queer tale.The story does not structurally hold form and their is no weightiness to the narrative. The Secret Life of Bees tirelessly regurgitates the usual devices to promote its themes, which are mostly weak and brittle. There comes a point in most films where you grasp what the film is about, and you can follow the story with a sense of purpose. The Life of Bees just doesn't provide that purpose it glides rather sub-consciously through a story.Queen Latifah is the only actress to bring character and a strong presence to the film. All the characters are one-dimensional, and you cannot be charmed by such artificiality. The film has a heart but it is firmly superficial and saccharine. The score is decidedly messy, it appears to just 'break-in' on the film, and create an abrupt interruption.The Secret Life of Bees struggles and struggles. The whole of the film fails to provide a firm platform of coherency and is a poor eccentric sort of fairytale. The film is confused and beats without purpose leaving an ugly sting in its tail.

edwagreen Dakota Fanning and Queen Latifah give interesting performances in this film.Surprisingly, Jennifer Hudson shows promise as a caregiver beaten up when she tries to register to vote in 1964 down south. This is not played up and pretty soon Hudson's role is entirely relegated to very little here. This is a major disappointment.When a 4 year old girl tragically kills her abused mother in a terrible accident, the girl at such a tender age can never truly understand what had happened that led to such an awful thing. Raised by an abusive, drunken father who was the same to her mother, the child finally runs away with her caregiver (Hudson) and the two flee to the home of Queen Latifah in South Carolina. After a while, it turns out that Latifah had cared for the girl's mother and that the latter had fled to Latifah's home when she ran away. The mother had returned after several months to get her daughter when the tragedy occurred. Wasn't the father held responsible for having a gun in the house?Latifah's home is painted in Pepto Bismol color. Can you imagine referring to house by that description? Too much begins to go on. A sister, April is already dead and May, emotionally unbalanced, soon joins April. June is frustrated and turns down the proposal of a lovely man. Latifah nicknames Hudson July. What are we playing a name by months game? Come on.The ending is riveting but by this time we're a little tired of all this. Bees on the farm love honey. This film is far from honey.