Despite the cutesy title, the recently released “The Secret Life of Bees” is far from sweet, encapsulating domestic abuse, racial hate crimes and violence. Based on the popular novel by Sue Monk Kidd, the film, starring Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson and Dakota Fanning, follows the dynamic life of Lily (Fanning, “Charlotte’s Web”) in 1964 South Carolina. The first half of this film is intriguing; however, the latter hour of “The Secret Life of Bees” fails to make the cut.
This film begins with a bang — literally. Viewers witness a marital spat between two adults that takes a drastic turn for the worse, resulting in the death of Lily’s mother. Lily is raised by her violent father (Paul Bettany, “The Da Vinci Code”) on a peach farm in the midst of the civil rights movement. Lily’s nurse, Rosaleen (Hudson, “Dream Girls”) balances out her father’s cruelty. Early in the plot, the clever caretaker schemes a false trip to “buy a training bra” for Lily in town; unfortunately, Lily’s mid-pubescent awkwardness remains until later in the film, as they never complete their venture.
Aside from getting Lily out of the house, Rosaleen has ulterior motives to vote after being inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech. En route to the booths, Rosaleen and Lily run into three bigoted men who spout racial slurs at Rosaleen. Enraged, she spells her name in syrup on her harasser’s feet — an act that lands Rosaleen in the hospital after she is mercilessly beaten. Lily runs away from home and sneaks Rosaleen out of the hospital. On their journey, the pair comes to the sad realization of racism’s enduring nature. Lily asks Rosaleen, “What about the civil rights act?” “Ain’t nothing but a piece of paper,” replies the bitter victim of hate.
Escaping their miserable situation, the two ladies hit the road in search of safety and answers to Lily’s mother’s mysterious death. They finally reach the neighboring town and are met with nervous glares and concerned faces at the sight of a black woman alone with a white girl. To escape the growing fugitive suspicion that was building, Lily and Rosaleen locate three African American sisters in hope they would provide them refuge. August (Queen Latifah, “Chicago”), emotionally unstable May (Sophie Okonedo, “Hotel Rwanda”), and June Boatwright (Alicia Keys, “Smokin’ Aces”) are introduced as three progressive honeybee farmers who take pity on Lily and Rosaleen and allow them to live in the honey house.
Unfortunately, the movie takes a turn for the worse at this point. The following hour of plot follows the emotional rollercoaster brought on by racial prejudice as Lily, a white girl, lives with four black women and sees how they are mistreated in society. Together, though, Lily and Rosaleen become more attached to the three sisters. Even with twists in the plot near the end, the film lacks any real premise near the end and seems to drone on into eternity.
June, played by Keys, has a hard outer shell eventually cracked by Lily’s honest demeanor. Keys, though, would be better off sticking to the music business, as acting is not her forte. August (Queen Latifah) plays the part of fairy godmother in the end, but her too-perfect temperament throughout the film seems synthetic.
“The Secret Life of Bees” carries a redemptive message. Unfortunately, Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Hudson’s convincing performances could not outweigh Queen Latifah and Keys’ poor acting. The film fails to live up to the literary hype generated around author Monk Kidd’s novel of the same name. Although it’s undoubtedly a feel-good flick with a happy ending, Hollywood’s version of “The Secret Life of Bees” is not quite buzz-worthy.
2 1/2 stars out of 5
