The Secret Life of Bees

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Barney F I guess I just didn’t like Hilarie Burton’s character Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/01/25 Full Review Kaelyn S do not watch if you don’t wanna cry fifty million times Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/25 Full Review Arianna V The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. In class we were given the choice of what book to read and watch, the book and movie I had chosen were The Secret Life of Bees. This story is about a little girl named Lily Owens who left her toxic household to find out more about her deceased mother, Lily is convinced her mother had other reasons why she left in the first place and Lily is making it her duty to figure out these reasons so she can no longer blame herself. Though both the movie and book were beautifully written and played, I would recommend the movie if you are looking for a better understanding of the characters, how they're portrayed throughout the story, and how they grow from beginning to end. While reading the book, I was under the impression that Lily Owens was at least mixed. In my mind her mother was black, once I had seen the movie, Lily was a small, blue-eyed, blonde-haired girl. This made the story overall, more interesting and the movie better because she eventually moves in with 3 black beekeeping sisters, June, August, and May Boatwright, that take her and Rosaleen under their wing and treats Lily like a sister of their own. You can tell that the beekeeping sisters love Lily and Rosaleen when they all agreed to not throw them out even after they find out Lily's sob story was a hoax, they knew that if they sent them home they'd get mistreated by T-Ray, Lilys drunken father. "Lily can have a home here for as long as she wants." This is what August said after T-Ray showed up at the house to take Lily home. This made the movie more appealing to me because it provided a better view of how the characters differ and how they look. When comparing the movie to the book certain scenes are written differently than what I had watched in the movie. One example is when the girls are running into the house with Pie pans over their heads to protect their hair, in the movie the girls did not use pie pans and instead ran with nothing. Unfortunately, I really liked reading this part of the book, so I wish that it had not been left out. After watching the movie, I noticed that some scenes were not like the book, potentially making it difficult to choose the movie over the book. One example is when T-Ray started getting violent with Lily when she refused to go back home with him. In the movie, T-Ray was not happy that she wanted to stay but didn't lash out as far as the book portrayed him to.. This made me think to have some sympathy for T-Ray's character and how in the movie they let him be more subtle, for this reason, I would choose the movie over the book Overall, this story is very heartwarming and a good portrayal of what it was like back then for colored women and what it's like to be in an unstable home as a child. Although both the movie and book bring awareness to these topics, I believe that the movie can provide a better understanding whether that would be with the characters or the overall message that the story brings. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Warning Will Smith movie! This should have been called The Secret Life of B Minus. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review anabel g It brought me into a reality I have only guessed at; black women making a real life in the deep south in the waning days of Jim Crow. The plot did drag at times; wish there had been a bit more happening with the bees and their keeper. But the stress of living under Jim Crow, the oppressiveness of the society that they survived, even thrived, in was always there, informing so much of the film and the plot Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning are excellent and believable in every scene. Sophie Okonedo simply was the troubled and damaged May. There were times when I wished to see more nuanced reactions from some of the actors, and a few scenes that I wish had been more fully developed; the director could have allowed more silences for the actors to explore the emotions called for in the script. On the whole, however, the film kept me engaged and gave me a deeper understanding of a culture and society that is different from the MidWestern world I grew up in. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member An excellent movie. Engaging, moving, and thoroughly entertaining. It’s nice to actually feel something and have an existential experience when watching a film as a break from the action packed special effects laden movies that dominate the screens. Highly recommended. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/03/21 Full Review Read all reviews

The Secret Life of Bees

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