Movie Review: The Secret Life of Bees, based on the story by Sue Monk Kidd
I first read this story about a year after it had come out. I was working at Barnes and Noble and had seen the book on the Bestsellers End-Cap for a long time and had never given it a second glance until a customer who bought it from me was telling me it was one of the most touching stories about love she had ever read. So, without much prodding after that, I picked it up, and loved it.
When I heard a movie version was coming out, I was thrilled, and although I knew I wouldn't make it to the movies, I saved it for myself on Netflix. Let me prelude by saying that I loved all the actresses in this movie (and actors, too, although it is mostly about women) and had seen them in other roles that I liked, and had won them Oscars.
Queen Latifa, Alicia Keys (!), Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, and Sophie Okonedo all did a spectacular job, and by the end of the movie, each one holds a lot of respect in the viewers' eyes. The story is about a little girl who is very lonely and lives with a secret that makes her feel unlovable. She desperately tries to find out about her mother (who died when she was 4 years old), by running away from home and finding a house that matches the picture in the precious few items she has of her mother's left. She stays with the three sisters, August, June, and May ("our mother loved summertime") and throughout the story finds more than just about her history, she finds the motherly love she has been longing for.
I really liked this story because there is nothing genuinely awful in it. That sounds strange, but I hate movies with unnecessary violence, bad dialogue/acting, and lots of sex and gore. This was a family film, but had many redemptive qualities. There is some adult issues including civil rights issues and depression, but a teenager would really like this movie, and it would be beneficial to watch at that age. Any age below would probably not enjoy or understand a lot of it.
This movie even got Stefan's approval because all of the characters were so respectable and genuine, a must for him.
4.5 out of 5 stars, even the soundtrack was awesome! Definitely see this movie!
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I first read this story about a year after it had come out. I was working at Barnes and Noble and had seen the book on the Bestsellers End-Cap for a long time and had never given it a second glance until a customer who bought it from me was telling me it was one of the most touching stories about love she had ever read. So, without much prodding after that, I picked it up, and loved it.
When I heard a movie version was coming out, I was thrilled, and although I knew I wouldn't make it to the movies, I saved it for myself on Netflix. Let me prelude by saying that I loved all the actresses in this movie (and actors, too, although it is mostly about women) and had seen them in other roles that I liked, and had won them Oscars.
Queen Latifa, Alicia Keys (!), Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, and Sophie Okonedo all did a spectacular job, and by the end of the movie, each one holds a lot of respect in the viewers' eyes. The story is about a little girl who is very lonely and lives with a secret that makes her feel unlovable. She desperately tries to find out about her mother (who died when she was 4 years old), by running away from home and finding a house that matches the picture in the precious few items she has of her mother's left. She stays with the three sisters, August, June, and May ("our mother loved summertime") and throughout the story finds more than just about her history, she finds the motherly love she has been longing for.
I really liked this story because there is nothing genuinely awful in it. That sounds strange, but I hate movies with unnecessary violence, bad dialogue/acting, and lots of sex and gore. This was a family film, but had many redemptive qualities. There is some adult issues including civil rights issues and depression, but a teenager would really like this movie, and it would be beneficial to watch at that age. Any age below would probably not enjoy or understand a lot of it.
This movie even got Stefan's approval because all of the characters were so respectable and genuine, a must for him.
4.5 out of 5 stars, even the soundtrack was awesome! Definitely see this movie!
photocredit
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