There was an interview that took place with Denzel Washington while he was filming Man on Fire where he talked about how when they took a break, it was him who felt he had to regain composure and up his game because he was being out-acted by his female child co-star, Dakota Fanning. If you’ve seen that movie you can understand why, and Dakota has continued to amaze in every role she plays (let’s just pretend Push didn’t happen, shall we?). The Secret Life of Bees is no exception as she faces and beautifully overcomes one of her biggest challenges yet, a heartfelt drama where she plays as Lily, a young girl desperate to find answers about her dead mother (how she dies is simply jawdropping) and start a new life away from her abusive father (Paul Bettany).
Now, I don’t know why I like black feminist dramas so much, perhaps because they’re usually done right, but for some reason I can honestly watch them for hours and not realize how much time has gone by. I just get lost in how well the characters connect and how uplifting the story is and Bees did a fantastic job of creating a fun, heart-warming story that was full of compassion, charm, and Queen Latifah. Perhaps because it’s been so long since I felt like I’ve been part of a family that I just enjoy watching a life I’ll never have again. Wow, that’s depressing, let’s try this one again:
The Secret Life of Bees is another one of those “black family just living their life until some punk-ass white bitch comes and fucks-a-nigga up” kind of movies. There we go, I feel better now. Fleeing her father and a town that still thinks black oppression is hip, Lily (Fanning) and her housekeeper Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson, American Idol’s most truly gifted product) flee to Tiberon, SC to try to find a new home in place where her mother called hers. Being taken in by the intelligent Boatwright sisters, Lily and Rosaleen become involved in the wonderful world of honey making and…pretty much live happily ever after. OK, fine, this movie lacked on depth of story which is why it’s not getting a perfect score from me, however, the characters, especially the three Boatwright sisters, May, June, and August (because July isn’t a real month in African history, I guess), were impeccable.
Headed up by August (Queen Latifah), the brains, and accompanied by June, the brawn, and May, the emotion, the Boatwright sisters don’t seem like three different people, but a single, incredible woman split into three. The stories and compassion that they bring to the screen and project onto Lily are spot on perfect and as they react to Lily’s tale and her own charming (and wonderfully acted, can’t stress that enough) personality, they aren’t changed so much as enhanced. Like she filled a void in their life that they didn’t know they had and Bees is masterful at making it a fulfilling change instead of one that “is just uncomfortable because the plot needs something to feel uncomfortable.” Ya know, like Reign Over Me did.
Of course, just as Lily fills an unknown void in the lives of the Boatwrights, as do they fill a very obvious void in her (let’s avoid the sexual connotations, it’s a family film), the need for………a mother (dirty bastards). The race card doesn't get played here except at the beginning, which is refreshing because I’m sick of it in these kinds of films because for some reason, filmmakers think that if you focus a story around a black-family in the South, you have to be a blacktivism film, but the fact that she’s a white girl in a black household doesn’t mean anything racially (obviously Oprah wasn’t involved in the making of this movie) and everyone lives together in harmony, completely understanding the role that they play in each other’s lives and for that, it was just a damn good, enchanting watch that I loved every minute of.
The Secret Life of Bees is an absolute joy of a movie; smart, entertaining, and heartwarming from beginning to end. It never got boring, never got preachy and I appreciated that this film didn’t try to send a message about black rights or black triumph during a time of prejudice. Not that I have anything wrong with those types of movies, but this one was smart enough to know that that is not the story it was trying to tell and stayed true to that. The characters were great, the humor was sweet and fit seamlessly. I wish the story had a little more depth to it, but perhaps it didn’t want to. That’s ok, I still enjoyed it. Wasn’t an awe-inspiring experience except for Dakota and Latifah’s performances, but it was a feel-good movie that I can watch again and again and for that, I give it a strong 8 dustbusters out of 10.
Nice. Reminded me of how good it really is. I'll be adding this to queue. Again. :)
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