The Secret Life of Bees

The preternaturally gifted Dakota Fanning continues to deliver impressive performances, registering strongly as a traumatized teen who lives with three African-American sisters in this schmaltzy but earnest drama based on the bestselling novel by Sue Monk Kidd. Fanning plays 14-year-old Lily, a North Carolina girl who accidentally shot her mom a decade earlier. Never forgiven by her abusive father (Paul Bettany), Lily eventually escapes with her mistreated housekeeper Rosaleen (Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson), and the pair seek refuge at a bee farm owned by siblings August (Queen Latifah), June (Alicia Keys), and May (Sophie Okonedo). Here, Lily learns the honey business and discovers the challenges faced by blacks in the pre-Civil Rights Act South, circa 1964. It's clear that director Gina Prince-Bythewood gave her actors maximum latitude in developing the three sisters: Latifah seems comfortable as the wise eldest August, Okonedo brings pathos to her characterization of slow-witted May, and Keys stands out as strong-willed civil-rights activist June (the one sister immune to Lily's elfin charm). Melodrama rears its head several times during The Secret Life of Bees, but since Prince-Bythewood maintains the focus on the interaction between the women, the exaggerated situations don't exact too heavy a toll on this generally pleasing film. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries (one with writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood, producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Joe Pichirallo, and costars Dakota Fanning and Queen Latifah; the other with Prince-Bythewood and editor Terilyn Shropshire), “The Women and Men of The Secret Life of Bees” behind-the-scenes featurette (17 min.), an “Adaptation: Bringing The Secret Life of Bees to the Big Screen” making-of featurette (13 min.), an “Inside the Pink House” interview with author Sue Monk Kidd (11 min.), 10 minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary, a “Life on the Set” featurette (9 min.), “The World Premiere” featurette (4 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the “Beekeeping 101” featurette (8 min.). Bottom line: a fine extras package for an uneven film.] (E. Hulse)