The Secret Life of Bees

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  • Opened October 17, 2008 
  • 1 hr 50 min
  • PG-13 | thematic material and some violence

  • Parents: Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+. More on child suitability

  • Haunted by memories of her late mother, 14-year-old Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) runs away with her friend and caregiver Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) to the South Carolina town that holds the key to her mother's past. There, Lily meets the Boatwright sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo), who take her in and teach her about beekeeping, honey and the Black Madonna. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, Sophie Okonedo, Alicia Keys, Paul Bettany
  • Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
  • Genres: Drama

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57 out of 100
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Critic 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

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A scene from "The Secret Life of Bees."