FamilyFans Movies
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BEE MOVIE (PG)
Plot Summary: Upon leaving the hive for a day trip, a young bee meets a human and is appalled to discover that we harvest honey for consumption.
Reason for the Rating: Mild suggestive humor.
If you’ve watched TV at all recently, there’s no doubt you’ve seen some kind of advertisement or celebrity interview for Bee Movie. With all the hype, you’d think this was the next Shrek or Cars. Well, let’s take a look and see what all the fuss is about.
Barry Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) has just graduated from college. Courses only lasted three days, but he graduated nonetheless. He is now faced with choosing a career – a job which he will continue to perform until the day he dies. Barry isn’t so thrilled with the idea of being “worked to death” without experiencing anything more from life, so he does what he’s always dreamed of doing. He sneaks into the “pollen jock” formation, the only bees who are allowed to leave the hive, and flies out into Central Park. Barry’s amazed at sailing through kites and seeing all the flowers, until he gets caught in the rain and is unable to make it back to the hive. Taking refuge in an apartment is a bit terrifying, until he’s saved by Vanessa (Renee Zellweger). To show his appreciation, Barry breaks a law of the bees, and talks to a human. Thus begins an unusual relationship.
All is going well, although
Barry has yet to settle upon a career choice, until the day he gets lost in the
grocery store and comes upon an aisle of honey. Startled, he follows the
manufacturer’s truck back to “Honey Farms” where he is appalled to discover bees
are kept in boxes, and their honey is taken from them for humans to enjoy. So,
with the help of Vanessa and his bee friend, Adam (Matthew Broderick), Barry
decides to sue humans and set all bees free from their honey making duties.
While the concept is cute (talking bees and all), the movie can be a bit slow at times. It has the kind of storyline and characters you can only experience in an animated movie (really, where else can you hear bees speak, or see the true inner workings of a hive – trams, moving sidewalks, and neon lights), but the animation isn’t anything special. The celebrities attached to this movie are eye-catching, with guest appearances by the likes of Sting, Ray Liotta, and Oprah, yet there isn’t anyone that really stands out. Except Chris Rock, as Mooseblood the Mosquito, and his screen time is cut way too short.
Additionally, there are
some oddities in the storyline of Bee Movie. First, there’s the
relationship between Vanessa and Barry. He expresses a love interest in her,
which isn’t carried out (for obvious reasons), but a bee falling in love with a
human is just, well, odd, and a bit hard to swallow. And then there’s the
human-race-being-sued-by-a-bee idea. It’s creative, but the lawyers supporting
us humans (and ultimately the balance of nature) are pompous and really not very
smart. The best argument they could come up with is, “My grandmother lived on a
farm, and she collected honey. That’s the way it’s always been, and that’s the
way it should stay.” As you can see, this is a movie that isn’t supposed to be
taken too seriously.
And the Bee Movie is funny, especially for adults. Would you expect any less with Jerry Seinfeld as co-writer? There are some great one-liners and funny situations that will certainly entertain parents and older children, but younger children might find this movie boring. There isn’t enough action, and the story line is something they really wouldn’t understand – the balance of nature, and the role bees play in that stability.
FAMILYFANS RECOMMENDS:
Sometimes too much hype and expectation can ruin a good movie. So set aside everything previously heard about Bee Movie, take the family, and enjoy some good laughs. Despite its drawbacks, it really is a movie worth seeing.
AFTER THE SHOW:
• Is there something you would like to do that you’ve never done before? Explain.
• What is something that would be difficult for you to live without?
• What would it be like to live without belief in Christ? How would it change who you are?
JW
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Note: All movie-related graphics in this column are standard publicity/promotional shots and are owned by their respective movie studios.