So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 57 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 OK for kids 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 88
    Baltimore Sun | Chris Kaltenbach

    Soars on the strength of strong acting and a script that stubbornly refuses to go all sappy and preachy. Read full review

  • 88
    ReelViews | James Berardinelli

    The other actress to stand out is, unsurprisingly, Queen Latifa, whose intense screen presence makes her a force to be reckoned with even when she's simply standing in the background, not saying anything. Read full review

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Above all, it contains characters I care for, played by actors I admire. Read full review

  • 75
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Carrie Rickey

    The filmmakers give Latifah and Fanning room to create characters that breathe in the sweet smell of clover and breathe out the contented sigh of independence. Read full review

  • 75
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    On screen something happens that goes beyond Monk's powers of description and Fanning's way of seeming 14 and 44 at the same time. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    Suffused with a golden glow, the movie looks and sounds like a fairy tale. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Michael Rechtshaffen

    An affecting ensemble piece that's destined to generate a fair share of awards-season buzz. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Hampered by over-earnestness and tugs too intently at the heartstrings. Read full review

  • 50
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    Fortunately, the cast cuts through a cloying script and boosts unsure direction with sharply focused performances. Read full review

  • 50
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    The Secret Life of Bees is a lesson -- or, rather, a whole series of them -- we no longer need to learn. Of course, it's also a divine-sisterhood-defeats-all chick flick, and on that score there's no denying that its clichés are rousingly up to date. Read full review

View more reviews for The Secret Life of Bees on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ 1960s-set family drama tackles weighty issues.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this emotional, 1960s-set drama includes multiple scenes of a man reacting violently toward his wife and daughter. The child witnesses her father's assault on her mother (resulting in off-camera gunshots and death); as a young teen, the same child is the victim of heartless physical and mental punishment. The unexpected discovery of a beloved character's dead body is intense and may be disturbing to some young viewers. African-American characters suffer at the hands of prejudiced white Southerners in many scenes. Racial hatred is illustrated by ugly name-calling (including use of the "N" word) and two beatings. But in spite of all of the above, the filmmakers don't exploit or maximize the action. They show only as much as necessary to provide the desired impact.
  • Families can talk about the movie's messages. More than 40 years have passed since the events in the film took place. How have racial politics changed? How haven't they? Families can also discuss what Lily was looking for when she left home. Why did she take Rosaleen with her? How did Lily's innocent acceptance of her African-American friends get them in trouble? Do the filmmakers show that Lily's father learned a lesson? Parents and teens who've read the book the movie is based on can compare and contrast the two. Which do you like better? Why?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The ugly nature of racial prejudice is depicted several times. Some white residents of "The South" in 1964 are shown to be inhumane and brutal, their actions based on ignorance and irrational fear. A violent, cruel husband/father ultimately pays the price for his behavior.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: An abusive husband assaults his wife (repeated in flashback), forcefully slaps a teen, and is menacing and threatening in many scenes. Gunshots are fired, resulting in an off-camera death. Racial intimidation results in severe physical beatings of two African-American characters. A dead body is revealed in an intensely emotional scene.
  • sex false1 Sexy stuff: Gentle kissing and embracing between two adults on several occasions; teens share one innocent kiss.
  • language false2 Language: Fairly minimal mild cursing: "goddammit," "damn it to hell," "bitch," "bust his ass." Multiple uses of racial epithets, including the "N" word, used to humiliate and threaten African-American characters.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Wonder Bread, Coca-Cola.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: A father drinks beer in one scene, whiskey in another.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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The Secret Life of Bees Movie Reviews + Ratings

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