Once again, Dakota Fanning demonstrates that, even as a teenager, she already has the acting skills and range equal to -- if not better than -- her A-list contemporaries.
Comment
03/06/09
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
64
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:25
Fresh:16
Rotten:9
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: The Secret Life of Bees has moments of charm, but is largely too maudlin and sticky-sweet.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Mar 5, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $37,665,012
Synopsis: THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, based on the New York Times best selling novel and set in South Carolina in 1964, is the moving tale of Lily Owens (Fanning) a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory... [More]
Starring: Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Reviews for The Secret Life of Bees
1 - 15 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Top CriticGlossy yet ultimately shallow, this platitudinous, unconvincing drama makes The Colour Purple look like Mississippi Burning.
03/06/09
Top CriticOn most levels the film, which has a surprising number of unconvincing details, takes the sugary option; it shies away from the harsher realities whenever possible.
03/06/09
Top CriticA dense story about a little girl and the impact her mother's death has on her makes terrific cinema in this beautifully realised film
02/27/09
Top CriticThe film has a dream-like quality above its punchy emotional core
02/27/09
Top CriticThe story is a gentle depiction of harsh times that works best as a coming-of-age parable, not so well as a historical drama.
03/06/09
Top CriticThe source material remains affecting and the cast work hard to add dimension to a lacklustre screenplay. But sadly, it adds up to less than the sum of its parts.
12/05/08
Top CriticTragedies strike and life lessons are learnt, homespun wisdom is dispensed. It’s simplistic to the point of total idiocy.
12/05/08
Top CriticThis fairytale of the civil rights era is all honey and no sting.
12/05/08
Top CriticThrough it all, Fanning more than keeps up with the big girls.
10/17/08
Top CriticThose who were moved by the book are likely to find this adaptation affecting and emotionally satisfying.
10/17/08
Top CriticWhat's being sold here is the movie equivalent of the honey-drenched sweet potato biscuits that are forever being passed around on-screen. Their nutritional value may be nil, but they sure look comforting.
10/17/08
Top CriticThe Secret Life of Bees insists so strenuously on its themes of redemption, tolerance, love and healing that it winds up defeating itself.
10/17/08
Top CriticAs a realistic portrayal of life in rural South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees is dreaming. As a parable of hope and love, it is enchanting.
10/16/08
Top CriticLike a mouthful of honey, The Secret Life of Bees is cloyingly sweet and gooey, and you're not quite sure you can swallow it undiluted.
09/08/08
Top Critic1 - 15 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Latest News for The Secret Life of Bees
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