I just left the movies with my mom and Amber. We saw “The Secret Life of Bees” starring Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, and Sophie Okonedo. The story is set in the 1960’s in the racially charged south. The movie begins with a flashback of Lily Owens (Dakota’s character) a 14-year old gorl plagued by guilt over accidentally killing her mother. The story goes on the present a very tense and strained relationship with her father, and introduces Rosleen (J Hud’s character), Lily’s caretaker and only friend. Rosleen gets a little to bold with a group of racist white men while going into town with Lily to register to vote. Lily’s father finds them and Lily is enraged that her father does not stand up for Rosleen. After a final confrontation with her father, Lily runs away, breaks Rosleen out of the hospital and head for Tiburon, the name of a place Lily sees on the back of a picture. Tis trip introduces us the the Boatwright sisters, a group of cultured entrepreneurs who help fill the void in Lily’s otherwise empty life and answer questions about her late mother. August Boatwright (Q.Latifah) is a saintly almost perfect character from the beginning. Then there’s May Boatwright (Sophie O.) who is so emotionally transparent and open that you can’t help but go with her on every heartwrenching journey. She played perhaps the most fragile character of the group and was totally believable. June Boatwright (Alicia Keys) plays the no-nonsense civil rights activist, who is too tough for her own good sometimes. They story takes you to this wonderful world of hope, love, and redemption. Without telling the whole story, suffice it to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I must admit, i wondered about how the actors would pull it off, but each woman brough something wonderful to her character. At times the movie had a “too good to be true” quality to it. There were definitely some parts where I had a “yeah right” attitude. Even so, it was utterly enjoyable. I especially liked Dakota’s character. I’ve always though she was an extraordinary actress and she certainly did not disappoint. She brought just the right amount of depth and feeling to Lily’s character. I don’t usually review movies on my blog, but if I had to give it a score, I would give The Secret Life Of Bees an A-. It’s a testament to the power and immutability of women’s love. If you like feel-good movies, this is the one.
NEXT MUST-SEE MOVIE: Rachel Getting Married
Okay I had to stop by and say something, but I’ll be back. I skimmed the post but I haven’t seen the movie yet so I didn’t know if there were any spoilers in the post. Will be back.