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...

SnoopyStyle At age 4, Lily Owens accidentally kills her mother (Hilarie Burton) as she struggled with her father (Paul Bettany). It's 1964 South Carolina. Lily (Dakota Fanning) is about to turn 14. Her father is a cold abusive man. They run a peach farm and Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) is her caregiver and only friend. Civil Rights Act has just been passed. Rosaleen gets beaten for trying to register to vote. Lily breaks her out of the hospital before they finish the job. They are headed to Tiburon because that is what's written on the back of her mother's picture. Lily finds jars of honey for sale which leads to August Boatwright (Queen Latifah) who lives with her sisters May (Sophie Okonedo) and June (Alicia Keys). Lily befriends a teen black boy Zach Taylor (Tristan Wilds) who comes to work with the bees.The material wants to be better. It deserves to be more epic. It could be more compelling considering the subject matter. Before getting to August and her sisters, this movie is intense. Hudson getting beaten after spilling the tobacco juice is a real big scene. Paul Bettany is a good villain. The problem is that the story at the house takes a break. The house exists in a bubble and the tension somehow floats away. The story meanders and it never truly recovers its early intensity. Also, there may be one too many side stories. As with some novel-turn-movies, it may not be something that could translate quite as well as what's on the page.

scootmandutoo I am a film buff, yet there are just a handful of films that blew me away emotionally at first watch. This is one of those films.I wasn't expecting this. I actually had gotten the DVD months ago and couldn't figure out why I hadn't seen it yet. I did not know the story, but I did like the cast and I had heard some good things. Even though I was a child at the time, that era has always fascinated and perplexed me. It's probably why my all time favorite TV series was "I'll Fly Away." This movie has a flawless cast. I was especially impressed with Dakota Fanning's continued development as an actress. But Jennifer Hudson and Sophie Okonedo were incandescent. Alicia Keys was a revelation in this film, though it took me a little while to warm up to her. And, Queen Latifah...well, this lady just seems to center everything.Movies to me are sometimes life-changing events. The ones that resonate the best are the ones that effectively give lessons about life.I guess if I mention that my all time favorite film is "A River Runs Through It," it might begin to explain why I instantly fell in love with this film. It has something profound to teach. And it does it with unforgettable imagery. Only time will tell if this film will stay with me like "River" did, but I suspect it will be a film I think about for quite some time.I have only watched the director's cut, so my comments are based on that, though I will go back and watch the theatrical version.This film truly is a gift.

TxMike When you have seen thousands of movies, as I have, rarely does anything come along that has truly novel story elements. That is a feature of this movie, set mostly in the summer of 1964, in South Carlonia. It has white vs black bigotry and it has a young girl unhappy at home, elements that I have seen in any number of movies. Add to that I remember 1964, I was in college, I lived through those rough times.So what makes this particular movie a cut above average? It is the fine ensemble cast, which has 14 year old Dakota Fanning as its focus. It is about a young girl who lost her mother at age 4, whose dad is not particularly warm and caring, who goes on a pilgrimage to seek the truth. In the process she gets with a family that keeps bees, and she learns about the secret Life of Bees in the process.Dakota Fanning is Lily Owens and in an early scene we see that she accidentally, at age 4, shoots a gun which apparently kills her mother who had been gone, but came home. Her dad has always told her it was to get her things, but not her daughter.After a particular racially-charged incident young Lily and her housekeeper Jennifer Hudson as Rosaleen hit the road and eventually seek refuge at the Pepto-pink home of the Boatwrights who make honey with a picture of a black Mary on the label. Queen Latifah is August Boatwright, Alicia Keys is June Boatwright, and Brit Sophie Okonedo is May Boatwright.In a role that is hard to recognize him, Brit Paul Bettany is the dad, T. Ray Owens.Good movie, with a fine ensemble cast.SPOILERS: After Lily and Rosaleen become accepted as members of the Boatwright clan, T. Ray shows up, finally figuring out where Lily had gone. As it turns out, the same place Lily's mother had gone to get away from T. Ray. In fact August had been Lily's nanny in years past. After first insisting that Lily go home with him, he eventually resigns to leaving her there "with her three mommas", but before he goes Lily asks him if her mother really did NOT come back for her. He told her he lied all those years, she really did come back for her daughter. Why did he lie? "Because she did not come back for me." Lily achieved closure.